It's fun to stay at the...

Last night, as per usual, I went to the Y for my workout. We go 3X a week, and I've found it's like a part-time job, but one I really like having. In a way, it's the one thing I do for myself to pay myself back.

Last night, M said, "I HATE working out! The best part of working out is having worked out."

Here's how you do it: You sit in the lobby for 10 minutes, change, exercise for an hour, sauna/steam room for 20 minutes, shower and change. 3 hours later, it's 11 o'clock and you haven't eaten dinner. So you go home and make canned Indian food with quinoa and (if you're good) greens, and then it's 11:30. You walk the dog, you come back upstairs and have some berries or cherries and watch a re-run of Sex and the City on TBS. Then you check your email one last time, plus--why not?--your work email too. Then you wake up and do it all again...

I'm not complaining! I like my life very much, and I realize how privileged I am on a constant, guilt-filled basis (I can't help it...I'm Jewish and Italian). My point is, there is no time to do everything, and there is no such thing as catching up. And honestly, I guess I thrive on that.

I also thrive on the Y, even though I agree with what M said. Plus, I happen to be a terrible athlete with no inclination to force my body to sweat, other than the fact that I know it's good for me. I think it was really traumatic childhood memories of gym class that have permanently scarred me. Chosen last for the team repeatedly, developing breasts when that was still funny (though it is still kinda funny), blah blah blah. So for me to voluntarily work out is a feat.

We are Y people, M and I. This is what we've come to realize. When we shopped around at other gyms, yoga studios, dog runs, etc, we found that the two of us--2 anti-breeder lesbian feminists--fit in best, ironically, at the Young Men's Catholic Association! Who knew?

The thing is, it's okay to go to the Y and not feel self-conscious about not being svelte, or about wearing argyle socks on the tread mill. It's a quirky blend of art students, senior citizens, gay guys, and weight-lifting dudes. Strangely enough, we fit right in.

Just the other day, we were on the elliptical (gawd help me), and I noticed the Farm Sanctuary newsletter on the magazine rack--and no, neither of us put it there! The following week, there was a PETA publication. And yesterday, a magazine about wildlife! There are vegans amongst us.... I wish I could sense their smell....

Article of the day: LA Times--Using birth control to tame urban wildlife.