Things are progressing - got donations from Scott, Natalie, and "Wolcheski Enterprises" - thanks guys! As for training, I really, really can't wait till I can ride outside. The bikes at the gym are awful. I can tolerate the ones at the Lewiston gym, but the ones at the Auburn gym make my knees hurt (yes, the same chain gym within a few miles from each other, but they have different equipment). The bike shoes are very helpful at least!

So I got my first donation yesterday from Katie W. It's very encouraging! I'm trying my hand at Facebook donations first before I bring out the "big guns" (I haven't quite figured out what that is yet) :-)

What is not encouraging is my knee pain. I was told at the beginning of this week that the alignment of my knee caps (though primarily the right knee) are off. It's just the way I'm built and there is nothing I can do about it.  I recall having a similiar problem in high school (when I was forced to be active in gym class) though the pain was a lot different than what I am feeling now. I asked why it would suddenly flair up and I was told age, which breaks down your knees over time, and the fact that most of us gain weight as we age and that, of course, puts more stress on your knees.

What this all means is after a day of walking around and sometimes exercising (which does not hurt) that when I am no longer putting stress on them (at night) they hurt. The doctor told me not to be afraid of the gym but after I went on Tuesday, I've been in pain at night ever since. They gave me exercises that are supposed to help but, of course, are causing my knees to hurt during the day as well.  I feel like an eighty year old woman.

However, this does not mean that I'm throwing in the towel on this or any event. Even if I'm in a knee coma for a week after doing the 42 miles, I'm still going to do it. I have a bike that should be more ergonomic than my old bike and the bikes at the gym, and I finally invested in a pair or real cycling shoes. Knees be damned!

Time to Start Fundraising!

I'm officially listed on Team ASPCA's website! They haven't given me a login and passcode yet so my fundraising page is rather sparse. I actually searched myself to see if I was listed!

You can donate to my cause by visiting http://aspcaambassadors.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=506&participantID=1079. Please give, and give often! :-)

TDBank Five Boro Bike Tour - The Story

So a year ago I said it was a New Year's resolution for me and Erik to keep up with this blog. Well, we both failed.

But now I have a new reason to keep it up - I recently signed up for the TDBank Five Boro Bike Tour in NYC as a member of Team of ASPCA. I'm a relatively new member to the "cycling" world (in quotes because I am an imposter). I've done the Dempsey Challenge in Lewiston-Auburn the past two years, and in that time have grown a lot (started at 10 miles, moved on to 25 miles - a big deal for me). While cancer will always be close to my heart (Nonna, John, Gail), I am ready to move on to another cause.

As many of you know, over the past year I've been very active with my local humane society. I love it.  While I adore the museum world, volunteering at the shelter has helped me keep my sanity and has shown me how much I really care for animals.  The ASPCA is the oldest humane society in this country. And it just so happens that this year, they decided to create their own team for the various athletic events in this country.

I have my friend Curtis to thank for my joining this event. Growing up, my dad and I would go to NYC but all we would see was the touristy part - Times Square, the tourist trap of America. I assumed that was all NYC had to offer. I went back just after 9-11 and then really spent some time there about a year and a half ago. I have fallen in love with the city. There is so much more than the tourist trap aspect. In fact, there are parts that remind me of Maine and New England given the affinity for good beer and the neigborhood atmosphere.

And in my visits there, I have been dying to bike it. There is no better time than to do it with 32,000 of your closest friends on a closed course - awesome.

My goals for this blog? To highlight my history with animals, to show why the ASPCA is an important charity to donate to, and to document my apprehension. Forty-two miles is a lot for me. Yes, it's relatively flat given the Dempsey, but it's still asking a lot from me. Since the Dempsey, I have upgraded bikes. But, I still refuse to do clips (I don't want to hear it Kate and Kendra!) and I'm still against spandex. I am just a "person who likes to ride a bike" (NOT a cyclist).

Stay tuned for more!

2010 Goal, Not Resolution

I don't know about Erik, but I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. However, I do believe in goals. Thus, one of my goals for this year is to actually keep this blog active and not let it go two years in between posts. There, I said it. Stay tuned for updates!

We Suck

Okay, I guess I should finally write something since it's been 5 months since our last posting.

Where to begin...my first class at USM sucked ass. The class was boring, I didn't learn anything, and the professor was so disorganized. He had us email our final papers to him and he ended up not printing out my entire paper and deducting points since he thought I didn't complete it. That issue still has not been resolved. Needless to say, I am not taking a class this semester, but plan to during the summer.

Victoria Mansion was pretty insane for the last part of the year. Most people don't believe me when I say this, but October is the biggest cruise ship month in Portland, and it's because of the foliage. So the whole month we were bombarded with insane amounts of people wanting to see the house. I was only there one day a week and I was pretty much dead tired by the end of the day. The holiday season was fun and the decorators did a great job as usual.

Erik quit the landscaping job back in November so he could concentrate on school. Since then he's been working at the Coast Guard doing all of his reserve weekends at once. In typical government fashion, he hasn't been getting paid on time, so things have been very tight. He's applied to a bunch of jobs but hasn't heard a peep. His classes are going well and he's on campus everyday.

We just got back from our first vacation in 3 years. We went to Quebec City for 3 1/2 days last week. The last time we were up there was 5 years ago, and it's been at least 3 years since we've even been across the border. It was cold, but a lot of fun. We both got to see parts of Maine that we probably wouldn't see otherwise (blink and you'd probably miss Jackman if there wasn't a border crossing there).

The "children" are doing well. I still want a dog, but that's not going to happen unless we move which will probably be years from now.

Things are very busy at Maine Preservation. Between planning for a huge two day conference, grant proposals, and the new Steeples project, Roxanne and I are like chickens with their heads cut off.

That's the scoop for now.

Turn Your Head and Cough

Life is - interesting? Erik and I went hiking at Grafton Notch State Park (near Sunday River) Labor Day weekend. Some of you, especially those in New England, may know that area from recent news reports on the four people who were murdered up that way (the same weekend we were there ironically enough.) It was the first time we had been hiking in about 2 years. We took advantage of the fact that we actually had a day off together to do something that we like to do. Well, I have always had issues with altitude changes, no matter how subtle, so I of course huffed and puffed my way up and down the mountain, but I managed to do it with no problem. The two days following the hike I went to the gym, and noticed that my breathing wasn't as controlled as it usually is, and I ended up not finishing a good chunk of my workout both days. That night, after the second day at the gym, I noticed that my chest was still tight from my workout, a good 6 hours after I had gotten home from the gym. I decided that the next day I would call my PCP and make an appointment, just to make sure I was fine.

Well, my PCP wouldn't take me. They told me do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars, go straight to the ER. I was hesitant because I really didn't feel like I was going to have a heart attack or anything, but Erik convinced me to go. So I spent 6 hours of my life in the ER. They took x-rays of my chest, took blood, did a CAT scan, couldn't find anything wrong with me. I guess my oxygen levels did dip at one point, but that still didn't help them explain what was going on. I was then recommended to see a cardiologist, which I did two days later. They did an echocardiogram, and on first glance, could not find anything alarming. In typical fashion, the ER didn't order all of the tests that the cardiologist needed, so now I have to go back to have a stress test and have bubbles injected into my blood (weird).

Why do I never get anything common or normal? I mean, some of you will remember the weird spot on my eye. While they think they know what it was (sort of), they still don't know what caused it.

In other news, I started my Management in the Non-profit Sector class. The professor is a bit...dry. I'm not sure if I like the class or not, but I didn't really get much of a chance to make that decision. First day of class, the fire alarm goes off about an hour into the class. Since the firemen couldn't figure out what the problem was, they couldn't let us back into the building, so class was over for for the evening.

Dude!

Yes, we are still alive up here in the wilds of Maine. You can call us Karla "Work" (last name) and Erik "Work and Class" (last name). It's been insane, but it looks like things are slowing down a bit, at least for me. I opted a few weekends back to the be the site manager at Victoria Mansion, essentially working 14 days in a row without a day off. Needless to say, it wasn't good for my stress level.

While things are getting better for me, they are just beginning to get busy for Erik. His summer classes end next week, but then he's off to his two weeks of active duty for the Coast Guard (required of reservists), then back to work AND class full time as soon as the two weeks are over. Insanity I tell you.

There is still a month left of summer, but looking back, this summer has been pretty much consumed by work. Not thrilled about this, but hey, what can you do. The highlights for me have been my trip to Connecticut for a high school friend's wedding party and our annual trip up to Castine. Be greatful for the small things, right?

Momentary Bliss?

Yo!

It's been way too long since I wrote something on here...April to be exact. So I figured I'd give you all the skinny on what's shaking. Erik just started classes at Southern Maine Community College - financial accounting and macro economics. Makes me want to curl up in a corner and snore, but good for him for getting back into the swing of things. And hey, the Coast Guard is paying for it, so hoo ha! His plan is to obtain an Associates in Business Administration in the next year, then move on to the Landing School in Kennebunk where he'll obtain a Professional certificate in Marine Systems Technician. Pretty cool, huh?

As for me, it's time for school as well. Oh no, I haven't taken up the GRE's again, hell no :-) I figured I'd start off slow and do another certificate program. Given my attraction to non-profits (I am the non-profit queen you know) and my newly appointed position at Maine Preservation, I have decided to do the Certificate in Non-Profit Management program and the University of Southern Maine. Application goes in the mail tomorrow. I'm excited. And yet again, I have Dos to thank (she's the one who inspired me to apply for the gift shop position at Victoria Mansion). Dos is the one who told me about it, so I did my research and thought it looked perfect for me as well. I figure, I haven't taken a class in two years now, so it'll be a good starting point before I make a decision about actual grad school and the GRE's and all that.

Memorial Day weekend was good. I actually had Monday off PAID! Believe me, this is a new concept for me since I've been the part-time schmo for the past two years. Erik and I had one of our notorious BBQs on the Saturday. Sharon and Sandra came up from CT; Vivian came up from MA for the day; Anne, a friend of Curtis' from Prague (she's American) who is moving to Portland joined us as well; and of course Uno since she now lives in town. Fun was had by all as we devoured greasy meat, potato salad, pasta salad, and cookies. Sunday I was at the Mansion, but Sharon and Sandra stopped by for a tour (luckily not mine), and I met up with everyone after I got out for a ferry ride to Long Island (in Maine, not New York). Monday we all relaxed.

Also had my last day of Old York. As much as I complained about the commute and having to pay for gas, it was bittersweet to leave. The girls in the office got me a really cool, colorful beaded bracelet. And the big shocker before I left - Drew, my now former boss, is leaving too!!!!! I almost fell out of my chair when he told me! And apparently I wasn't the only shocked one in the office! His last day is June 24, the day of a huge fundraiser that he had helped plan and promised to stay for. So the entire development office, all two of us, are moving on to bigger and better things. Apparently the new job just fell in his lap and he wasn't necessarily looking. I feel bad for the executive director, but hey, people move on I guess. I actually trained my replacement for 4 1/2 hours today. She caught on very quickly, but there is yet another catch - today was her one and only day before she officially starts June 23rd, the day before my old boss leaves!!! She apparently booked a trip to Africa before taking the position, so she is going to be gone for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm half expecting to get a call from Old York, begging me to help them out, but we'll see. Craziness all around!

And that's it for now.

I'm Still Keeping My "Non-Profit Queen" Name, Damnit!

Well, I got the job at Maine Preservation! It was almost anti-climatic when I heard the good news, probably because nothing could compare to all of the stress I had been going through, looking for new jobs and what not. My biggest fear was telling Old York. In fact, I only slept 2 hours the night before! My boss and the director were surprisingly non-stressed or vocal about it, so that was a HUGE relief! They both said that they know people need/have to move on and that, if anything, I picked a good time to bail since it's in between crazy seasons. While I officially gave them two weeks, I'm looking to work a deal with Maine Pres so that after the two weeks, I would come down to York one day a week for a few weeks to train the new person. There's no way they are going to get someone in this position and have me train them before I leave, it's just not possible. Still waiting to hear what Roxanne thinks about this, but I think she'll be accomodating.

I think this is a good move, despite the drama that unfolded during the past month. Not only will it get me on a real career path, it'll also give me the benefits I deserve after a year and a half of having multiple jobs - paid holidays! vacation time! sick time! I have to tell you, I was more excited about the paid holidays bit than I was with the pay raise ;-) And the money saved on gas alone is going to be fantastic! So that's that.

Blah

Just thought I'd give a quick recap of the past few weeks, but there really isn't anything exciting going on. I'm still waiting to hear from Maine Preservation and in the meantime have been applying to other jobs. Erik signed up for his first two classes at Southern Maine Community College that start this summer. The Coast Guard is paying for the whole thing (minus a $6 fee and books). The condo search is off for awhile I think, which is fine by the both of us. I am working this upcoming weekend for Victoria Mansion again, so that'll be fun.

Victorian love...it's driving me mad...it's making me crazy!

I had my first on-call site manager gig today. I f-ing loved it!! I told Erik, at one point I thought of the guy who is taking the job in a month, and I just wanted to find him and push him out a window. I just had such a good time! For once I actually felt like I had some responsibility, even though I really didn't do a heck of a lot. I met the deputy director at the door at 12:30pm, she showed me how to use the alarm system and what the procedures are for opening up the place, and that was it. She left me there with an hour and a half before anything was going on. I was in this historic 1860's house, by myself, for over an hour. And I loved it! Part of my job when I'm the site manager is to open up the blinds in all of the rooms. Basically you take off your shoes (as to not damage the carpet), go around the rope barrier, and do your thing. It was cool because I got to see things up close and personal that I wouldn't normally get to see. I also used that time to make sure I knew what key worked with what lock and to make sure I knew how to work the doors. I mean, you can't mess with old doors. The key for the very front door to the Mansion (which I don't get to take home) is this 3-4 inch antique key that I thought was so perfect for the opening key to the Mansion. It literally looks like an old skeleton key that someone would use to open up a dungeon door or something. That took a little getting use to.

My volunteers showed up at 2pm. Two of them were board members, so that was nice at least because it meant I had seasoned pros working with me on my first day. But at the same time, I felt like I had to do my best work so that they wouldn't bring me up in a bad way at a board meeting.

Truth be told, I wasn't completely on my own. The giftshop manager is technically the second site manager, and she was there, but she was handling the giftshop. So it still felt like I had the most control over the house, with major backup from the board members.

So the event that was going on was a Victorian girl's tea. The actual tea took place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay since they have more space for that kind of thing. After the tea, all of the girls and their mothers were invited back to Victoria Mansion for a self-guided tour. All I have to say is, holy shit. There were a TON of girls running around the place! Most of the mothers were pretty good at keeping their children in check. Others, not so much. It was definitely a madhouse, but we had enough help with three volunteers and myself. I handed out self-guided tour sheets at the door (actually where the above picture is being taken from....minus the green carpet, that no longer exists), but made sure to do damage control every so often to make sure people weren't overstepping their boundaries or leaving garbage where they shouldn't.

At one point the giftshop manager was apparently so bogged down with sales, she tried to call over to me to come over and give her a hand. But the phone that I was near wasn't working! I felt so bad! I guess she was literally wrapping up one person's stuff and had another person shoving merchandise and money in her face! There were two tea sessions, so for the second one I went over to the shop. Murphy's Law of course, she didn't need my help at all. Oh well. I still had fun and can't wait to help out with Mansion in Bloom at the end of the month.

Btw, not to end this blog entry on a bad note, but it's news (although bad) - there is a very good chance that I'm losing my job at Maine Preservation in a month, so that's been weighing heavily on pretty much my entire existence right now. If you want the scoop, send me an email if you have it or leave a message on this blog.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

So I'm going to this workshop in May and I'm very excited about it! It's a three-day workshop in Concord, NH on how to preserve and archive photographs. Granted, I'm sure, to quote Erik's coworker when he found out I was going to the Antiques Roadshow, that you'd rather watch paint dry, but it is totally up my alley! And get this - three-day workshop from 9am to 4pm PLUS lunch is included...for only $150! There was no way I was going to pass it up. And yes, I'm doing this on my own, independent from either one of my jobs, so I guess that truly does make me a geek. And I have a free place to stay, so I'm psyched. If you are interested in learning more, visit http://www.nedcc.org/wwwtp/wklog.htm.

In other news, Erik is home from work today because he messed up his back at work. He has a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so let's hope he didn't screw it up too badly. We're also going to look at least one place tonight (FINALLY). The definite is a condo in South Portland (on a bus route and a bike path, both pluses). The indefinite is a ranch in Westbrook (suburb of Portland) that is actually in our price range. So we'll see what happens.

Bring on the Inner Martha Stewart!

Okay, so I finally have some news! I've been holding out on everyone until I could see where things were going (no, I'm not pregnant). Anyway, Erik and I are looking to purchase a condo! Now, I'm sure you are currently starring at the computer screen, thinking you may need to get glasses or a new prescription, but yes, you did read that correctly. You are also probably thinking wait, aren't these the same people who owe $2,000 in taxes (if you don't know that story, send me an email). But yes, both are correct, and it's actually the whole taxes thing that got the ball rolling. I mentioned our tax crisis to the bookkeeper at Old York because I had thought they were the culprit (it's actually looking more and more like it's Erik's job's fault) and she said to me well, you need to buy property for the tax deduction. It wasn't oh, you should THINK about buying property, it was you NEED to buy property. I of course laughed since she has no clue where we are coming from, but she assured me that as long as you have stellar credit, you can get a mortgage for no or very little money down (she's also a realtor in her spare time). I wasn't even positive about the state of our credit. She told me the worst that could happen is that the mortgage person tells us to hold off, and she assured me that there would be no laughing on the part of the mortgage person (which is what I had always assumed would happen).

So anyway, long story short (ha ha), we got pre-approved for more than we can even afford! Apparently our credit is excellent which, believe me, was a total surprise! After hearing that, Erik decided to look into the VA loan through the Coast Guard (he's still working on that) and we found a realtor in Portland who seems really nice and is not car salesman pushy. I mean, I wouldn't say get out your addressbooks anytime soon, but with the pre-approval, we are well on our way. It'll of course most likely mean not living in Portland, which if it means owning something, I'm all for it, but we will have to see what happens. In the next week or so we are planning on looking at places in South Portland and Old Orchard, so we'll see how that goes.

Given what we know we can afford, we are obviously going the condo route. And yes, as some of you will point out, I use to make fun of condos, but now that I see the buying potential and had the whole condo fee explained to me by someone a hell of a lot more knowledgeable than myself, I see it as a good investment. We will obviously keep everyone posted. As we both have said, at least we love our apartment and where we live so if there isn't anything exciting out there, we still have a very enjoyable living situation.

But truth be told - I'm already picking out paint colors in my head! ;-)

Non-Profits RULE!

I actually have some good news to impart. Good news hasn't exactly been abundant lately, so we'll take whatever we can get! Anyway, I got my one year anniversary raise from Maine Preservation today, over a month before my actual anniversary date. It's only an extra $1 per hour, but hey, it's a floundering non-profit, so I ain't going to complain! Plus last year at this time I was making $2 less per hour than I am now. Good deal if you ask me.

And the other piece of good news is that Victoria Mansion has already asked me if I can cover the site manager position! It's not till April, but they wanted to give me plenty of advance notice. I guess the Mansion is having an event the last weekend of April, and the guy who took my job isn't starting till the first week of May. Thus, they need me to help out. They didn't mention anything about what was going on with the second site manager (which is the gift shop manager), but I'm thinking that maybe they want me to get some experience. I have training for the job about 2 weeks prior to the event (scheduled before I knew I would be doing the event), so that's good. It's something, right? I didn't think they would need me, despite the fact that they asked me to be the on-call site manager, but I ain't going to complain that this dude can't show up till after the event is over :-)

Nothing new with Erik. I'm the only one that has a "dramatic" life ;-)

Whatever!

Not much to report, but I figured I should post something so that the horrible job debacle posting isn't still at the top of your screen :-) I'm over it now, and decided to take the on-call position. I've been in this industry long enough to know that you don't burn bridges with anyone associated with museums. While they sort of did that with me, I'm not going to do it back to them. The bridge may be rickety at the moment, but I'm sure that a construction crew will be called in soon to restore it back to its original form :-) I have three training sessions in April for the position, so after that is when I'm truly on-call. I haven't told Maine Preservation about any of this yet, but I don't think it's going to effect them anyway.

Erik had his first Coast Guard drill weekend. He is VERY glad to be back in. I dropped him off and picked him up over the weekend, so of course I went on the base. Erik and I both have id's, but I still found the whole thing very lax! Granted, I know that it's only 1) a Coast Guard base, and 2) in Maine, but I had Dos in the car with me when I went to pick him up, and no one cared! I joked about how I could have been part of a coup and I was bringing Dos in to blow up the place or something. Sigh, those silly Feds ;-)

In other news, I've started studying for the GRE's again. D-Day is set for April 15. Let's see if I finally go through with it.

An Apology

As some of you may have noticed, a previous blog about me getting a job at Victoria Mansion has been pulled. That's because it came to my attention that I had been led to believe that I had the position, when I did not. The position ended up going to someone who use to have the job, has some time between now and when he starts his Ph.D program. So of course they rewarded him for his past efforts by giving him his old job back. As someone pointed out, you should never think you have a job until you have it in writing. I guess she was right. But given my past experiences, I have always been offered jobs over the phone or in person, without having signed anything until way after the fact. Call me naive that this job was mine I guess. I feel betrayed, but what can I do. They have offered me an on-call position, meaning I would do the job they originally offered me but on an on-call basis, but I haven't decided what I should do. One year from now Old York will be over, and I will have half a job at Maine Preservation. If this guy does indeed go on to his Ph.D program, then I was told that the job would be mine (again, in my mind). While I'm not going to bank on that, the appeal is definitely there. I have some thinking to do. Several people have told me to find out how much they are willing to pay me for "on-call" and then make my decision from there. We shall see. But I am sorry for misleading people into thinking I had the job.

Score!

Some news, finally! I have scored a talk/interview with Victoria Mansion for the Site Manager position! For those of you who don't know, I worked in their giftshop on Sundays during the holidays, so I got to know the staff and volunteers pretty well. So when I saw the Site Manager position posted online, I had to go for it! The funny thing is that I know the girl who is/was in the position, so I'm wondering what happened/is happening with her. Anyway, it's another part-time gig OF COURSE since it's my life, however it would replace one of my jobs that I haven't been happy with lately, plus I would manage some of the operations of the house which would be so cool. It's obviously not totally a done deal, but I'm very excited that I at least have an interview. So be thinking of me 4pm on Friday!

A curator and a registrar walk into a bar...

I'm probably the only one that will find these funny, but I had to share.

You might be a museum professional if:

You find yourself compulsively levelling picture frames in restaurants and department stores.

Your first thought is that a mime in the park is a collection manager who has absentmindedly forgotten to remove their white cotton gloves.

You obtain a "non-profit" status for your home.

You take notes while watching Antiques Roadshow.

You think $40,000 a year is a lot of money.

Your co-workers quiz each other to see who can identify more accession numbers.

You arouse anxiety in museum security staff because you pay so much attention to the anti-theft devices.

You pay more attention to legibility of the labels than the contents of the cases.

The United States Coast Guard is a military, multimission, maritime service and one of the nation’s five Armed Services.

Not a ton to report, but I figured I had to do a special posting just for the occasion - Erik finally has his first drill scheduled with the Coast Guard!!! Woo hoo!! He's reporting for duty President's Day weekend. About f-ing time if you ask me. I'm planning on hopefully going down to Boston that weekend, but we shall see. Some of you may recall the last time I tried to go down President's Day weekend - I ended up bailing since I had to spend almost $400 to get the brakes on the car replaced. Dumb.

Sushi in Portland

All I have to say is that I hope that I get sushi the next time I visit y'all in Portland. And some crab Rangoon. yumm.

xoxox to all the Riders and Happy New Year's.

Yo, 2006! With a special post-New Year's addition of Karla's Tales...From the Gym!

Happy 2006 everyone! The consensus so far is that everyone thought 2004 sucked, that 2005 was a transition year back to some good for once, so that means 2006 is going to rock! Let's hope we all agree come December of this year.

Anyhoo, New Year's Eve was a fun time in the Rider household. Uno and Dos came over and Erik made the best Asian spread this side of the Mason-Dixon line! We had 5 courses of yummies, which included pot stickers, crab rangoon, and spring rolls (store bought, not going to lie) which ended with homemade sushi and homemade green tea ice cream. Sushi was a first for Erik, but he has been dying to try it, and he did very well for his first shot at it. He stuck to California rolls since they seem to be the easiest.

So 2006 doesn't seem to be much different so far, but holy crap, the gym is another story my friends! This is the first time I have ever had a gym membership, so I have never really witnessed the post-New Year's mad dash to get fit. The gym was beyond packed, to the point where I swear it had to be a fire hazard! I parked in timbuktu and had to wait for a treadmill. There was a line of people at the counter, frantically trying to sign up for a membership. The gym was full of people practically squeezing into their spandex, obviously not seasoned gym people who should KNOW that spandex was not made to look good on about 99% of the population. It was insane! Erik tells me that the average gym boom lasts for about 3 weeks of the New Year and then peters out, so if I can make it another few weeks, I'll be able to enjoy what use to be with the other diehards come February :-)

Can't you feel the love tonight!

I don't think any words are necessary ;-)

I'll Have What She's Having!

Happy Holidays from Karla, Erik, Puddy, and Miss Portland. May your holiday include plenty of kitty crack :-)

Mmm....Update

Hi all! Just giving a quick update since I feel like I haven't done that in awhile:

Erik FINALLY got his Coast Guard uniforms, so now he just needs to track down the person who will schedule him for his drills.

We attended the Maine Preservation holiday party a week and a half ago. It was actually held at Victoria Mansion, my third job. They decorate the house every year for Christmas, so it was an absolutely gorgeous place to have a party.

We have health benefits again! They kind of suck (amount taken out of Erik's paycheck, copay, etc.) but I guess it's better than not having anything at all. And now I'm discovering the joys of having an HMO (can you read the sarcasm?).

We went down to Newburyport a couple of weeks ago for Vivian and Stefan's apartment warming. It was great to see the gang, and to finally meet some people that I had only heard about.

That's it for now!

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - A Tale of Two Gyms?

Okay, this just adds to the weirdness of the gym - there are two of the SAME gym on the SAME road! I figured out a different way to get to the gym I had been going to originally and thought I had entered the twilight zone when I saw the "Planet Fitness" sign on the wrong side of the road. Huh?!??!?! I decided to check it out, and when I questioned the woman at the front desk as to how this gym was different than the one that I could literally see down the road from there, she said no difference, just smaller. Huh?!??!?!

Well, one thing I do have to say, even though it's smaller, there are always parking spaces and always equipment available when you want it, unlike the other location. Why this other location hasn't caught on is a mystery to me, but I ain't complaining! In fact, I actually like this location better! Less freaks, more normal looking people, it's great! But I still don't get it!!

Five Hundred, Twenty-Five Thousand, Six Hundred Minutes

So Erik and I went to the movies for the first time since we've been married. We tried to figure out what the last movie we saw, and we think it was the first Lord of the Rings. So if you know what year that came out, than that's the last time we went. I don't know what Erik's excuse is, but I don't see the point in paying $10 to see something that you can rent on Netflix later for a lot cheaper.

Our change of heart came about when we realized that the Nickelodeon theater in town does $5 movies on Tuesdays. Pretty sweet deal! Although I went back and forth about what I wanted to see, I finally settled on Rent. I figured it was the one movie that would be better on screen than on TV. I thought it was good, but in my opinion, if you haven't seen the stage version, I'm not sure if you'll like it. However, Erik never saw it on stage and he liked the movie, so maybe I'm full of crap. We think we're going to go back next week and see Walk the Line.

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - Girlfriend?

Different dude, same dumb t-shirt concept - will these guys ever learn????

Got Turkey?

I know it's last minute, but if anyone is going to be in Maine, Southern New Hampshire, or the North Shore of MA tomorrow and wouldn't mind a 60 minute trip, please come up to Portland! We are stuck in Maine since the landscaping company that Erik works for plows in the winter, and we are supposedly suppose to have a storm tomorrow, even though they are basically calling for rain along the coast. Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I'm still planning on cooking a bird and all the fixings (even though I just did that a few weeks back), so if anyone wanted to stop by, they'd be more than welcome!

Karla's Tales...From the Gym! - I Love Freshman Girls?

Reason number 53458950 to hate the gym - You're on the treadmill, minding your own business, when a short male in his 20's walks past wearing a skin tight t-shirt that reads "I Love Freshman Girls (see exact t-shirt above). Said male has man boobs (those ain't pecs, ladies). Struts around like he's all that.

For more info, please refer to reason number 3242340 to become a lesbian (that's for you, Dos) :-)

Karla's Tales...From the Gym!! (MUHAHAHAHAHHA)

So for those of you who don't know, I obtained a gym membership for the first time in my life the other day. To keep the record straight, I hate gyms -loooaattthhh gyms. However, this year I decided that I didn't want to go a whole winter with only running on weekends if the weather happens to be nice. I still haven't lost the 10 pounds I gained last winter. Anyway, part of Erik's Coast Guard bonus paid for my all of my initial fees and all that at the most gym-like gym in town. Gym-like gym you ask? Think of the typical gym environment, and that's this place. It's called Planet Fitness, and you probably have one in your state if you live in New England. At $20/month, I couldn't pass it up despite the facilities gym-ness. Gym-like pretty much boils down to buff guys who think they're all that, girls who think sportsbras are shirts, and marathoners who decide to run on either side of you when you're on the treadmill, making your 10 minute, 42 second mile look like your running at a sloth's pace. Anyway, despite the fact that I want to gag everytime I go in there, I have miraculously been inspired to write about it in a little blurb I like to call "Karla's Tales..From the Gym!" which I plan on posting whenever something wacko happens when I'm there. My next post is the inspiration for this. Enjoy, and feel free to comment with your own crazy gym stories!