Fiber optics, fitness and finances.

I got my fiber optic Christmas tree last night on sale at 60% off!!!!! Happy, happy, joy, joy! I’ve wanted one of those for years, but didn’t want to shell out that much money. There was a really nice one on sale for around $26 bucks though, and I’m far more pleased than I ought to be about it. I just hope that KfH quiets down enough by next Christmas that I can actually set it up without having to worry about either the tree or the Imp.

When I got home from work last night The Prof was famished. He’d slept away most of the day, and had only been up for a little over an hour when I got home. There was still no food in the house, so went on an outing to Chik-fil-A (The Prof’s favorite fast food joint) for dinner, which led a spot of mall-walking, leading in turn to my purchase of the fiber optic Christmas tree.

Afterward, we went to the local YMCA to check out the facilities. Both The Prof and I have been talking about joining, and the fact they have personal trainers available makes it particularly attractive to me. I don’t have a clue about how to go about strengthening my legs after their injuries, nor have I ever used any gym equipment in my life except for what I was coached through in physical therapy. When we got there, we found a prominent notice that there was a misprint in their catalogue and that family membership would cost us well over $700 a year (far more than originally quoted). It works out to about a dollar a day for each of us, which doesn’t sound so much when put like that, but is still a good deal more than I was prepared to drop on the spot. To be honest, I have no idea how that price stacks up agains other fitness centers in the area. Getting comparisons is supposed to be the Prof’s job today, though I strongly suspect he isn’t going to make any phone calls. The Y gave us a week’s trial membership free, so we’ll test it out a few days and see if it works for us.

The only thing (other than the price) that dismayed me last night was how busy the place was. Virtually all the equipment was in use, and most of the people using it didn’t look like they needed to. Yeah, I know. They didn’t look like they needed to because they worked out regularly, but that really isn’t my point. It is distinctly uncomfortable to be the only one working out with five pound leg weights when everybody else is using weights suitable for Popeye on a post-spinach high. I won’t even bring up the fact that my mere presence there probably raised average age in the equipment room up by about five years. This is something I need to do, but it is not going to be comfortable on many different levels.

After checking out the Y, we went grocery shopping. At least I have food in the house again (other than that which gets scooped out of a bag with the picture of a cat on the front). Of course, I’d spent all my read cash on a Christmas tree, so The Prof had to shell out for groceries. Fortunately he was prepared to do so, or I’d have had to put it on my already strained credit card.

Once home I started pulling 2001 finances together. Because The Prof has only been teaching part time until last semester, I’ve been carrying the bulk of the household expenses. We’d been keeping close track, and The Prof always intended to pay half of the expenses eventually, but I didn’t want to push the issue until he was a little more financially stable. After the last semester at full time though The Prof felt it was time to pay back. He’d already caught himself up on the rent, and had given me a substantial check about a week ago to credit against what he owed. When I finished tallying things up (God bless Excel) he only owed a few hundred dollars more. I know he’s happier having that settled, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it eased my finances as well. The last thing to settle is the vacation expenses from California (I paid the major expenses such as the hotel rooms, thought The Prof helped with smaller expenses like gas and meals). Once that’s resolved we’ll try to keep things even on a month by month basis (although that gets shot to hell if he gets kicked back to part time again).

Finally, I finally got through to my doctor, and I have an appointment for next Tuesday afternoon to check out the Lump and my … er … other problem. Just one fun thing after another.