SO…I guess friends have actually been checking the blog, much to my surprise, to find out if I’m alive, well, enjoying or hating Seattle… And I honestly can’t remember the last time I posted, though I’m pretty sure it was before moving, so it’s been about a week and a half or so. I’m due!

Let’s start with injury rates. The foot that was bothering me…still bothers me a bit. I wore flats with no arch support the other day to walk to Pike Place and back with friends, and I think that was a BIG MISTAKE. My plantar’s fascitis is back in a big way! I’ve been using the night splint (not to be confused with the night guard for my night-time jaw grinding) every night, and it bums me out because I was doing well at just using it every few nights. Teaches me to try to be trendy…

I did go for a jog one evening along Alaska Way, much to my husband’s dismay and annoyance. I was ITCHING to do SOMETHING, though. I hadn’t yet figured out gyms or anything, and, for some reason, couldn’t get into the fitness center at the apartment complex I’m currently at. (Let’s just say I didn’t want to try again, either, after standing at the door, waving my little ID tag at the door, and then yanking on the door each time it would beep, with people IN the fitness center just doing whatever, and me feeling increasingly conscious of my inability to open the door…) I was definitely having workout withdrawals…ESPECIALLY cycling. I didn’t realize how hooked I was on cycling! The jog did me good, though, for some reason, I itched all over afterwards. I was convinced it was from not working out and gaining a few pounds, but my clothes all still fit decently (okay, the jeans are a LITTLE tight…but I also washed them, so I’ll chalk that up to the post-wash-need-to-be-stretched-again phenomenon). Anyhow, when I told my hubby (who is in the Tri-Cities, btw), he said, “Didn’t we talk about NO RUNNING BY YOURSELF?” “Yes.” “Don’t be stupid – you know how you get in trouble working out.” “I know.”

Sad, but true.

Not long afterwards, I found out where the gym was, set an appointment to go see it, and ran home from work (if you can call the 25 minutes to drive a few miles “running home”), packed a gym bag, and went to see the gym. The guy showing me the gym gave me my guest pass and then looked at the bag and said, “…and I guess you’re all ready to work out?” I wanted to say, “You have NO IDEA what kind of gym rat I am!”

The gym is nice – two floors of cardio and weights, one group exercise room. Locker rooms have a sauna, steam room, and hot tub! And the niceness of the locker rooms reminds me of the Columbia Basin Racquet Club. I liked it. They did have a couple of machines I’ve never seen before – one is a stairmaster, only with actual rotating stairs, so you actually DO have to climb stairs! Another is a thing that seems like you’re laying down…only no seat. You actually have weight attached on the machine while you are leaning back and almost paddling with your legs. It’s tough to describe, but it focuses on legs and seems genius to me…weights AND cardio for the lower half! I just wish it had arm movement (other than just trying to keep you up!). I chuckled when I saw them…considering Seattle is nothing but hills – and not gentle rolling ones. You suddenly find yourself on a steep incline to get to the next street up. It’s incredible. And I must admit, I get a bit of a kick (and a pang of fear) watching the cyclists working their way up those hills.

As for Microsoft itself? Wow – amazing. It’s really absolutely amazing. It’s only been a week, but I’m already immersed in my work, the team is GREAT, and it’s just crazy. The craziest thing is NO TIMECARDS. Coming from having to account for every hour of the day, it’s just incredible that you don’t clock in OR clock out – you just come, do your job, and go home when you feel like you’re done for the day. It’s interesting, because I think I feel more like being as productive as possible because I feel trusted. It’s a weird feeling.

Now – the weather…has been beautiful! Sunny skies since coming, with cloudy mornings, but that’s all the cloudiness it’s been. I’m definitely grateful, and honestly pray it continues for awhile. Granted, the highs are in the 70’s and not the 80’s or 90’s, but I can handle that well. My wardrobe fits for that – sunny and kind of warm but not too warm. When we get rainy weather, though, I’ll need to go shopping again.

So – I’m surviving, and enjoying Seattle. I’m even enjoying downtown, though the trains going by so frequently takes time to get used to. And I already found myself doing things just to avoid traffic. Last night, I got my stuff ready for the gym at dusk, not turning lights on. I thought I had grabbed a brown tank top to wear. First, my alarm was set, but not turned ON (point of frustration because I can’t figure out how to turn it OFF instead of just snoozing it, other than switching it to OFF, and I keep forgetting to switch it to ON). I woke up an hour later than I intended, but still early since I was intending to make it to the gym. I was about to sleep in and had even moved the alarm up (in my groggy state, not realizing it still wasn’t ON), then suddenly got out of bed realizing that if I waited, I’d have to drive in traffic. So I headed to the gym, did a workout, and then, as I was getting dressed, stared at my…PURPLE…tank top. It was to be worn with a teal and brown top…just so I didn’t have to deal with the traffic heading home or back, I just decided to start a new fashion trend and wear the purple under the teal and brown top. I feel like a sore thumb, but, hey, I didn’t have to spend 40 minutes on the road going to and from work (the gym is just up the road from work and takes only a few minutes to get TO work regardless of the time of day it is).

So, wearing my purple tank top under my teal and brown blouse, I suppose I am a true Seattle-ite, making odd sacrifices just not to deal with traffic.