Sunny went home

Well, we had a good run, Sunny and I. We went to the beach, enjoyed open-air concerts, and did lots outdoorsy stuff as much as we could. He even stayed past mid-October*. But as they say, all good things come to an end...

*I live in South-West France.

Mmmm...hmmm

Sunday evening unwind.

But...if I have wine with grapes, is that redundant?

Shut up

How I feel at work today.

Dr. Drill Sergeant

As part of my fitness fight (fitness journey sounds lovely, but I like to keep it real) I've signed up for a Zumba class starting in October. The gym makes you submit a medical certificate before you join any class (maybe it's a French thing?) so I went to my doctor today for a check up.
I've been going to this doctor for a couple years now, and I'm really glad I found her because I feel completely at ease with her, which for me is reeeaaallly important. And it's not about her being a woman either. She just has the right balance of kindness and professionalism. Once I went to a very cheerful, gentle male doctor, but he was so jolly and laid back that I didn't feel I could take him seriously. I imagined  him as the kind of doctor who after breaking some horrible news to his patient, would try to cheer them up with a knock-knock joke. Or, even worse, use the joke to deliver the prognosis:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Dead.
Dead who?
Dead you. In 6 months.
LOL. 

So anyway it was just a regular check up to confirm that my health was no obstacle to my physical activity. The doc checked my blood pressure (120/70) listened to my heartbeat (Parfait, she said), and then she asked me to drop and give her 30 squats! 

Thirty?

Oui, trente. And afterwards I'll check your heart rate again.

After 20 squats I was almost panting and thought maybe I should just come to her office for a workout every week instead! I didn't feel like I was dying or anything, but I guess I was more caught off guard than anything else. In any case, I passed her fitness test with flying colours, and I'll be able to add Zumba to my fitness routine starting mid-October. 

All in a day's wok

Bargain of the week (this doesn't actually happen every week):
I found a secondhand wok online for €5 in excellent condition. I felt like doing a stir-fry with Chinese noodles this weekend, so it definitely came in handy. My frying pan has given me decent enough stir-fry results until now, but with the wok it was sooo much faster and Chinesier and just...better. :-)

French TV sucks

Netflix has finally come to France! The French version is a little behind with American / British shows, but it's still great and I can watch my favourite older shows all over again. I'm doing the one-month free trial and I'm already hooked. I had a lovely evening tonight having dinner with friends but I still had to get my Netflix fix when I got home. I think I'll pay for it when the month is up. The novelty will probably wear off, but this will help get me through the winter!


Update: FARGO!!! Ya, you betcha.

Memories frozen in time

This afternoon I accidentally banged the side of my head while in the bathroom, scrambling to get ready on time to meet a friend. As I pressed the block of ice to my temple, I couldn't help but smile. Not a masochistic smile, but a reminiscent one, as memories came flooding back from my childhood.
Accidentally bumping my head on tables, walls, doors, my brother's head...and ice had been the go-to remedy most of these times. Sometimes my mother would wrap a block of ice in a handkerchief or a rag with a five-cent coin inside and press it to my forehead. I think the coin was supposed to keep the bump flat. I chuckled at the memory. Then I remembered I was late!

No more couch potato

I’m pretty proud of myself. I’ve clambered back onto the fitness wagon.  I even bought some new exercise gear, including a pair of running pants with a nifty inner waistband pocket. The unfortunate thing about that pocket though is that you look like a twisted perv standing in front your door trying to fish your house key out of your crotch...