fitness and flowers

yesterday tracy came home all excited. "i just love the change in the seasons," she said, "tomorrow i'm going to go out and buy a whole bunch of daffodils and tulips."

i was kind of confused for a second. "...wait. is it spring?" i said tentatively.

it's spring. january 10 and it's spring in california. i'm not sure i'll ever get used to this! sitting around, chained to my job hunt and my computer, i'm feeling a real need to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather (it really is beautiful). i need exercise. i'm sedentary and i really hate it. soccer? i could join a league. bike? i live pretty far from most bikeable destinations....and i really just need to buckle down and break the seal. once i bike somewhere, then i'll be ok biking everywhere. running? maybe if i was all alone in the early mornings, i could run around lake merritt.

i considered a gym membership. i just loved my gym in boston - something i never thought i'd say. it was close to work, comfortable, and had a steam room. no meatmarket and no pressure. but it was expensive. and i can't really reconcile myself with signing a gym membership without an income. and all the gyms i like are a little pricey.

the more i think about it, the more i miss the cold weather. i don't prefer it, but i miss it. there's something solitary about winter that i really like. something insular - in a good way. you can be secreted away with your own thoughts and feelings, and really evaulate them while everyone else is hibernating. you can go to your gym and don't have to talk to anyone. everyone is insular, so they don't notice you while you're working out. i miss that seasonal self-absorption. it's what got me focused on my own health last february, when i joined the gym. i guess it's the new englander in me. (people in other parts of the country call it "unfriendliness")

things on the job front are going slow but steady. i might be working on a conference this summer. i'm applying to jobs, and getting tips on jobs from some of the people i've been volunteering with, so that's good. it's just slow. and i'm so, so ready to land - with my own home, gym, and routine.