We've had a rainy few days here and I noticed something on Monday on my way down Locust Street.  Locust St. is an old street as are most of the streets in Center City Philadelphia (not European old which is measured in centuries but American old.  I mean Dublin is really OLD), and the sidewalks are not very wide and they are brick instead of cement.  I think this is supposed to enhance the feeling of oldness but in reality it makes walking an adventure as the bricks have a tendency to shift and the walking surface can be uneven and twisted ankles are common.

Anyway, I was walking along with my one person umbrella to keep my head and most of my body dry and am confronted by several people carrying umbrellas that are big enough to cover entire small countries.  They almost spanned the width of the sidewalk.  I think they were originally golf umbrellas (they have no metal pieces to keep them from being lightning rods on a flat golf course) but I've noticed more and more people are carrying them out in public.  They're huge and the rest of us have to try to work our way around them on the sidewalk.  Of course as you walk past them (moving your umbrella out of their way) you end up with water dripping on you from the edge of their enormous umbrellas.

I ranted about this to Pk on the way home.  We decided it's probably one of two things.  One, people are just not concerned with how their actions effect others.  They want to be dry and so what if it inconveniences you or anyone else.(I hate to think that. I like to think people are considerate)  Two, they just don't think about the consequences and just want to be dry.  I like to be dry as much as the next person.  Spring rain can be cold and bone chilling.  But, I try to be sensitive to the people around me.  I'd just like to outlaw these big umbrellas. 

I noticed something about my body last night.  Underneath the layer of adipose tissue (I think that sounds way better than Fat) that has resided upon my torso for a number of years, there are muscles struggling to see the light of day.  Actual muscles.  I know they're there because I can feel them.  And I can just start to see the hint of some of them.  We have been doing sit ups with weights (up to 25 pounds which I can hardly lift but I've managed to do 10 situps with the weight) and it's making a difference.  I've worked up to just over 20 minutes on the elliptical machine and can do over a mile and a quarter in that time.  Not a fast time but better than I was doing 3 months ago.  These are small steps.  Baby steps.  But steps, nonetheless.  I will admit, I still don't like it.  I wish I could get excited about the gym like some people but it's not there.  I don't dread it but I don't look forward to it.  I am pleased to see some progress.  I can walk up the stairs at the train station without bending over and gasping for breath.  When I'm at the bottom of the stairs (there are three flights of 16 stairs each), I feel like Frodo at the bottom of Mt. Doom.  I put my head down and slog upward.  Pk says I'm exaggerating but I figure whatever gets me to the top.

I  do look forward to knit night which is tonight.  I have some bags of shavings from the cedar tree that Pk helped his friend cut up.  They smell so good and I'm going to take some with me and see if anyone wants to put some in with their stash. 

And that's all there is here in sunny South Jersey.  It's a bit cool for this time of year but there are no complaints from me.  All too soon, it will be hot and humid and I'll be wondering why we don't live on the North Pole.