The new "Regime"

Well the new year has officially started...and I have to say 2010 ended quite nicely for me.  I flirted shamelessly with the travel-delay gods, and in spite of three trips across winter ravaged Europe, and two trips across the continental United states, I never got caught in the many horrible delays that plagued this holiday season.  I thank my lucky stars for that, even though at some point, I know I'll have to pay it forward.  Charlie and I had a nice visit with my family in California over Christmas and all is well with my people there.

The company my son works for, "Pirates Press"  just moved  to a new location which is much bigger, and well ... a really cool spot...if I do say so myself.  They have a huge space which affords them not only room for the vast amount of inventory they store, but also a nice studio space for Matt to practice, and perfect his music.  For those of you who don't know, he is in the vinyl pressing business (and yes those are all demos on the wall behind him) and he's doing quite well.  I always say that if success is measured by happiness, then my son has made it... big time!  He loves what he's doing and seems to eat, live and breathe all things music related.

Like most artists, he is driven by a passion from within, which I admire, in more ways than one.  Needless to say, I am very proud of him.

So it's...2011... the resolutions are still young and  hopeful.  A new routine initiated with the hope of starting off the new year with a more healthy, low-fat lifestyle.

  The French word for diet is "regime".  I love that... !  It sort of conjures up an entire regiment of rules and restrictions.  Not that I'm a great one for dieting - but I do like the idea of getting healthy in a regimented way.
So for the next couple of weeks, in between trips, it's off to the gym we go... in our case, the YMCA.  Which by any body's standards is a very nice facility.  Set in downtown D.C. the gym itself takes up 7 floors of a large brownstone building on the corner of Rhode Island Avenue and 17th Street.  Along with lots of state of the art cardio equipment, an olympic size swimming pool, raquetball and squash courts, a climbing wall, indoor track and basketball court, a sauna and a steam room, they have a purple spinning room!

A nice dark color to compliment the imaginings of a bike ride in the real world, on a real mountain. The sweat is real enough, and it's a good work out.... you only have to look out onto the snow covered sidewalks outside to appreciate the fantasy.

So that's it for now- if you're looking for me, I'll be in a purple haze, fantasizing about bike rides in exotic places with long gradual hills to climb.


P.S.  While writing this blog last Saturday, I took a break from it and for some reason, got up and turned on the news.  The shootings in Tuscon had just happened, and I watched the horror unfold.  I was unable to return to what seemed trivial in comparison to what the victims of that massacre endured. The blog was left half finished.   Tonight I listened to our president lead the nation in a eulogy that I found insightful and inspiring.
It was a challenge to us all to be a better person, and treat each other with civility.  That we can disagree without being disagreeable. He emphasized living up to our children's expectations of a democratic America, and all that that entails.
 Now that's a resolution I can get behind!

Happy 2011 everyone!