Release The Kraken!

 Okay, so I am not watching 1981's Clash of the Titans.

Although I haven't seen this movie in years, nor have I seen the reboots, I do remember watching it in my great-aunt's apartment in New York when she was asked to babysit me for a while. I don't remember the exact date, but it had to be between 1988 and 1990. I don't remember if we were up there for an event or just to visit family. No one believes me when I say "I remember Etta letting me watch Clash of the Titans while she babysat me in her apartment". I also think that also was the one and only time I was in her place as well. 

So yeah...  I am not watching it now. It happens to be one of those sentences people always say when something's got to go down. That being said, I am trying to figure out if a neighbor is going to put any more Halloween decorations out, as the Kraken they've secured to their corner last night, takes up some real estate their other stuff won't fit next to. 

I tried looking up "kraken halloween decoration" and "octopus halloween decoration" on Amazon. They both have similar stuff for sale, but I didn't see anything close to what the neighbor has. 

I had to be quick since I was in my car and didn't want to be totally obvious, since I was at the gym prior and wanted to get home. The photos were not color corrected or anything; I just added my name to them. They were taken on an iPhone 11 and the name graphic was done in Photoshop. 

I mentioned I was a the gym in my community. It's a small gym at the clubhouse and definitely shows it's age. For a 20 year old community, the equipment must be at least 15 years old. When we moved in, there was only a small area to work out in, as the main area was completely different - it was a racquetball court. That had barely been used, and was turning gross, so they reinvested in the area and made the space a full fledged gym. 

However, the stuff in there now, is not so great. The pictures don't do justice of how small the area really is, and even though we've got some amazing looking items. The treadmills are needing repairs on the belts (one of them is a NordicTrack special one where every time I use it, I feel like I'm going to wind up in the emergency room because it's just janky), the leg press machine has the cables that are constantly over stretched and no one can seem to replace them, one of the bikes has so many loose bolts, it feels like the seat will collapse under you and you'll catch some scrapes (someone else mentioned this to me yesterday), the elliptical machines are so rusty, that they're more than likely a health hazard.

It's crazy how you notice little changes in a period of time. I used to go to this gym when we first moved here, so I remember how it was only in the smaller part of the area (where the "captain's chair" is - to the right of that, as the wall above it used to be the start of the racquetball court). Then I used the equipment when the area expended. What stopped me was all the kids under 15 that would come in and just use the area as a hangout spot. I got tired of it. So I never went back.

It's been quite a few years and now I've been put in a situation where I probably need to do something better for myself, so I've been going since the end of May. I've not noticed a complete difference on myself, but my mom says she sees it. And yes, I do use most of the stuff there. People are surprised I'm able to use the Captain's Chair because of my lack of being fit, but I prove them wrong time and again. Even when I had a membership to the YMCA back in Massachusetts. The trainer I got for a couple sessions couldn't believe I could do anything on that machine (and he wasn't so fit himself). 

It's all about the element of surprise, apparently. 

I do things when I can. I get between 1.50 and 2.0 distance on the elliptical when I can push myself between 35 and 60 minutes. I use the bike for 6 distance in 30ish minutes. I walk the treadmill for 20 minutes but haven't really met a mile yet. I use the dumbbells. I make the attempt to try everything because someone has to do it. It's just that it gets peopley in there and some of the people are hanging out while others are plonking things down. 

It weirds me out, but I soldier on as much as I can since I have a bit of a back problem and my head stays on a swivel because I can't help but watch everyone. I know I've got some issues and I can't help it. At least I can work on them at my own pace. 

Speaking of pace, I need more water to drink. My mother wants me to start a movie with her before it gets too late, and I'd like to take my contacts out and put my glasses on. 

So until next time, stay swole. 

Cheers;