Six on the seventeeth

1. Today was Day 2 for me working out at the YMCA in the morning. I've been getting up at 5, getting to the gym by 5:45 or so, and having a great 90-minute workout to start the day. It feels incredible. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with a trainer to go over their FitLinxx system that I don't understand at all yet (something about punching your number into every machine as you, and it tells you how much you lifted last time, I'm sure it doesn't work for the freeweights but it'll be cool to figure it out nonetheless). I can't imagine missing a day at this point.

2. Working out at a gym in the city instead of a gym in the county has led to two straight days of running into parents of students I teach or have taught. I like this; it makes me feel part of the community I teach in. Also gym related: Nakedness occurs in a locker room; I realize this. But it doesn't have to linger. Some guys are just way too comfortable to start chatting with you, or brushing their teeth, or getting naked, then walking across the locker room to pee butt-ass naked because, I don't know, they like to pee in the nude? I don't get it at all. Drop the drawers, put a towel around your waist, and head to the shower. Come back, drop the towel, and throw another pair of drawers on.

3. I'm remembering how fun it is to create these protein shakes that I have every morning. I make a pitcher-full in the afternoon, enough for the evening snack and for the breakfast in the morning. Tonight's - hot off the blender - featured as much shit as I could get in there: ice, raspberries, chocolate whey protein powder, blueberry flax seed, cooked oatmeal, two eggs, skim milk, plain skim yogurt, peanut butter, a banana, and peanut butter. That's 11 ingredients! This one was my best yet. And I feel so refreshed in my food knowledge right now that I could give you a justification for every single one of those ingredients. It's also really tasty!

4. I'm trying to figure out why I'm so broke lately. I think it stems from my $1300 tuition bill, the holidays, and the $400 car repair job (re: new tires) on the way home from Michigan. I guess that is a lot of money. But I'm not much on the savings this year, since I've been trying to pay off my summer classes for much of the school year, and I just drove the drive of shame, as I drove all the way down to Fell's Point to get my $78 in tips so I could go to the bank and deposit every single dollar of them so I could pay rent this month. Pretty sad. I am nearly 30 years old.

5. Speaking of turning 30 this year, I think it's pretty funny that the City Paper has what seems to be a permanent logo in the upper right hand corner this year that proclaims its 30th anniversary with the years 1977-2007 on it. I guess I'll be reminded every single Wednesday that this is the year that I turn 30. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I think my 30s are going to be real good.

6. My day today was spent doing 36 ten-minute writing conferences in a row. I forgot to schedule myself a break. My students' midterm is basically them bringing their self-generated essay to me, and having me read it aloud to them and offer my comments, questions, and feedback. Then I score it. It made for a grueling day, but everything from that particular midterm is graded. I also think it was pretty useful. It's so hard to schedule time to talk about writing with students in class, so this afforded the perfect opportunity. And the kid who wrote the essay comparing The Deer Hunter with The Sorrow of War? He really pulled it off. My other favorite today was a student who explored the paradox of the emotions of sex equating to emotions of war in Ninh's book. It nearly blew me away. Tomorrow, I'll have 38 consecutive writing conferences.