I woke up at 6:24 pm today, and realized that I had to be in my second spinning class by 6:30pm. Oops. I'd set my alarm for 6am instead of 6pm. I went into turbo bumblebee mode, and dashed out the door. Fortunately, the gym is only a mile or so away, so I arrived at 6:35, quickly set up the bike, and started pedalling away. Was so glad to be on that bike I swear I was grinning like a fool for the first ten minutes I was there. Then, of course, the pain set in!

I pushed myself really hard on the bike tonight - it felt good to see what my limits were with this, and the trainer is so motivational that I really 'went someplace' internally and pulled up whatever it was that I needed to find to continue to push. It was an awesome class, and we spun for nearly an hour (apparently spinning classes are usually 40 minutes), and aside from having jelly-like legs again, I felt great. Considering that the average spinning class burns about 500 calories in 40 minutes, I have probably burned around 1,000 calories just from spinning in the last two days. My seat is incredibly sore from sitting in the bike saddle, but apparently it just takes a while to get used to it. I don't have a pair of biking shorts, so I've been sitting on a folded up towel to provide SOME cushioning. The first class it kept falling off, so I used a rubber band to hold it onto the seat for the second class. It worked like a charm, and will save me from having to invest in a pair of biking shorts for a while. I want to see how much I think I'll be spinning in the future before I go spend money on a new form of exercise.

The rest of today was fun, too. This morning after work I called my uncle, and we went out for a quick breakfast. It was really good to see him, and I can't wait to see him again tomorrow night. : ) Then I went home and slept, and after spinning class I went home and made some salmon and spinach for dinner. Then Anne stopped by, and we talked for about an hour before I had to kick her out and get ready for work. She and I had a terrific conversation, and howled with laughter about a couple things that we hadn't had time to talk about before - her dates, Brad phasing himself out, life in general - and she said that she'll be laughing for days about one story I told her. Heck, I'm still giggling about it! Unfortunately, it doesn't translate well to the written word, or I would share it here, too.

After Anne left, I had about an hour and 15 minutes to get ready for work, and I puttered around a little too long, and got out of the shower with 12 minutes to get ready for work. Bumblebee time again - threw on some clothes, grabbed my lunch and purse, and raced out the door. No makeup, hair still damp, etc. Made it to work on time, though, and have been doing stuff on-line since then, interrupted by the occasional call.

Tomorrow I will head home and go directly to sleep, and then I hope to head to the gym before going to dinner with my uncle. Dinner promises to be 'lavish and decadent', so I want to burn off some calories before I even indulge. The indulgence will be minor, anyway. I will have a nice meal, and might have some wine, but dessert is probably out of the question BTD-wise, so I won't stray too far.

I know that I can be completely compliant the rest of the week through the weekend, so the next planned indulgence will be next Tuesday evening for Passover dinner at Anne's grandmother's home, with both her parents, me, some other friends of the family, and I'm bringing Mike. Should prove to be an entertaining evening. Anne's parents bicker all the time (they divorced 30 years ago) and Mike hasn't met Anne's mother or grandmother, though he has met her father. Last year it was a traditional dinner, but also a comedic evening. I suspect this year will be the same, but more so.