Thoughts from the Muscle Making Machines: Part 2

Although it did sound like the perfect way to start the day, being ridden and pumped before work this morning only left me feeling tired, spent, unfocused, sore, angry, and pitifully unmotivated.

The sales pitch yesterday went something like this: "You like to lift. You like to spin. You should try our new class called Pump and Ride. It is 15 minutes of spin class, 15 minutes of lifting, 15 more minutes of spin, followed by 15 minutes of lifting. It will be perfect for you."

7:00 AM the Exercise Log

It did sound perfect, so this morning I got up, ate a good breakfast and headed to the gym to attend this experimental hybrid class. First of all today's pump was replaced by interval training consisting of some sort of plastic log with handles that we had to carry while we curtsied, threaded the needle, cross lifted with forward lunges, shuffled with side lunges, and totem poled. Sounds like a delightful way to begin your day, doesn't it?  The set consisted of two rotations through the five stations. You spent 60 seconds at each station and had 15 seconds in between to rest.

I thought, "What's a minute? I can do this" Well, a minute is plenty of time to realize that you have made a terrible mistake. 15 minutes is enough time to be concerned that your breakfast may be reappearing at any moment. I kept staring at the clock, eagerly awaiting the spin portion of the class. Spin is my specialty, I do it four times a week. But, no....

7:15 AM Pushups on the Trapeze (TRX)

We went from log toting right into some sort of S&M inspired circuit of trapezes hanging from the ceiling - also know as TRX. Things like kettle bell lifts while pulling yourself off the ground with one hand. Push up / crunches while your feet were suspended above ground. The list goes on, but the tortures slowly became more imaginative, more heinous, and more painful - each worse than the one before.

I only made one circuit through this new level of Hell. Then I bolted. I just could not do another round. I had to keep telling myself that there are no heroes in Hell. And while I felt like a big old puss for not making it through another circuit, I knew in my (pounding) heart that I would excel in the spin portion. So, while my fellow prisoners were swinging in their straps while being berated by their keepers, I slipped out to get a head start on my spin bike.

8:35 AM....

Much to my surprise, my legs were like overcooked noodles. My arms barely supported my upper body as we jogged and did push ups on the spin cycle - forward and back, forward and back, foward and back for 20 minutes.

I thought that 8:00 would never arrive. But, like Christmas, it did - and so did the sales pitch. For a measly $500, I could submit myself to this special brand of torture (bootcamp) three mornings a week for the next 12 weeks. I fully understand that this type of workout will be of great benefit to my 49 year old body - but I am unsure if this body can withstand so much torture, so early in the morning, for so many weeks in a row.

Even though the class has officially been renamed "Riding and Resistance," I think I am going to pass on this opportunity. However, I will gladly cheer for the inmates / recruits / suckers each morning as I shuffle between the muscle making machines.

Thoughts from the Muscle Making Machines

In some ways we never leave high school. At 49, I still have the sense of humor of a high school boy. Particularly when it comes to double entendres.

Yesterday morning, one of the trainers at my gym came over during my workout to tell me that they had created a new class that was perfect for me. It is called "Pump and Ride."

I could not help myself. I burst out laughing and told her that I was impressed at how well she knew me. I think I will get up especially early tomorrow to attend the class before work. If experience can be trusted, a good pump and ride can be a great way to start the day.

Seen and Heard: REP's Circle Mirror Transformation

Friday was a bit of a whirlwind day. I had meetings all morning, accepted a new job offer at lunch, spent the afternoon bowling with my work mates, and then met Cathy and Arjay for dinner and a night at the theater. We met at Beasley's Chicken and Honey and got caught up over chicken biscuits, pork shoulder meatloaf, and fried flounder. Few people make me laugh as much as the Hineks - so dinner was a blast.

On another note, Arjay and I will be reunited at Lulu (along with Lucas, Kevin, Jennifer, and Patrick). Cathy graciously gave her permission for Arjay and I to resume our "work husband" relationship, although Arjay admitted that he has been cheating on me with someone else. I told him that I could be up for a "work threesome...just saying." I am sure that if Arjay likes him that we will all soon be sharing laughs together around the lunch table.

After dinner, we had a quick drink at Foundation where we ran into Seth (an ex-Peoplefluent employee) and his wife. Then it was upstairs to Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre to see Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker.

This award-winning play is part of a trilogy of plays that take place in a small New England town. The action in this piece occurs in a dance studio where a teacher, her husband, and three students participate in a six week amateur actor's workshop.The play is presented in six sections - each representing a portion of a workshop experience. Over time as the characters relax and embrace the workshop exercises, the audience begins to learn little snippets about each character. Since there is so little direct information shared, the audience is forced to piece together each character's personality in order to discover their flaws.

This work, while appearing to move along briskly from scene to scene, actually lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. The characters at the beginning of the play fit the expected stereotypes, but they do not evolve in expected directions. As such, when the dirty laundry is finally aired, there remains some small doubt as to whose laundry is on display. It is not until the surprisingly forthright final scene do you realize that the characters who appeared to be the most damaged at the beginning, actually come out of the experience with the most hopeful futures.

As usual, for REP, the casting was perfect, the acting was spot-on, and the direction was outstanding. The most striking aspect of this production was the simple, bare, elegant staging. I particularly liked the way that the wall of mirrors reflected the actor's reactions as well as those of the audience. While you were watching the actors, subconsciously you are were also watching/seeing yourself.


Last season, REP spent their entire season making me cry - sometimes with joy and sometimes with shared sorrow. So far this season, they have made me examine my prejudices and expectations. I am eager to see what they have in store for the remainder of the 2012 season.

There are three more performances scheduled for this production (March 2-4). I highly recommend it for an evening of enjoyable, entertaining, and touching theater. Click here for more information and reservations.

A Gilded Cage by any Other Name is Still a Cage...

After a coffee date, two telephone interviews, an onsite tag team interview, and a final interview with the COO, the call I had been eagerly awaiting finally came Friday afternoon. I held my breath just a bit as Melissa slowly and deliberately got through the details of the job offer. Without much thought or consideration I responded with a resounding "YES, YES, YES - I accept."

The irony of this situation was that I received the call while driving to a team building outing with one of the development teams I support. So while I was bursting to share my exciting news with someone, I did not want my manager to learn of my departure before I had a chance to break the news to her myself. Needless to say, I was quite a bit more giggly, giddy, and animated than usual during lunch.

After our outing, I pulled aside my work "wife." She had once told me that I could never leave her for another job or warmer climates and palm trees. At that time I responded to her that if I should ever have the opportunity to move to sunnier climes, that after me, she would be the second person to know about it. And while I was so thrilled and excited to share my news, I died just a little when I saw the look of disappointment on her face. Of course she immediately gave me a big hug and congratulated me. She is a good wife indeed.

Little did I know that all this week I would continue seeing that same look - just a tiny flash of disappointment - on the faces of my team mates as they each learned of my pending departure. For some time now I have known that leaving Peoplefluent would be a difficult choice. After all I like my work, I get paid well, the office is two blocks from my home, I like the people I work with, and I am not unhappy with my circumstances.

And yet I know myself and have seen this writing on the wall before. After all, no matter how well fed the bird in the gilded cage is, he is still in a cage. It is only a matter of time before the bars of that beautiful cage begin to chafe and I begin to resent the lack of career growth and available paths. So, I am flying the coup while I can still laugh and enjoy myself at work. More than anything, I want to leave with good memories of my time at Peoplefluent.

Yes, I will have to drive two miles to work. My car will appreciate the exercise. I will continue to work as a technical writer, but with a completely different voice. My work will be visible to a wider audience and I am thrilled to be working with a young, dedicated, creative team who all work to help others realize their dreams and ambitions. Check it out - I will start my new job at Lulu Press in 12 days.

Tick, tick, tick.....

Dazed, Confused, and Sorely Undersupplied: A Week in My Reality

That little cold I toted around with me the last day of our cruise reeked its revenge upon my respiratory system on Monday. I had fever, chills, wheezing, coughing fits, a runny nose, and no perishable foods in the house. The need to rest and recuperate was battling with the need to forage for healthy food - and coffee. Foraging won.

After a few cups of hot tea with honey, a long hot shower, and the last of the cold medication, I headed out into the elements for provisions. I was in luck. Although it had been cold, rainy, and snowy the day before, today was a relatively balmy 65F (18C) - winter in North Carolina is unpredictable at best, but warm is always better than cold. There was no need to bundle up. The only need was to find supplies.



Split Pea Soup

First I headed to the Home Depot for some felt pads to place under the kitchen chairs. Robbie Rumba keeps knocking the chairs around and scratching the floors (Bad Robot). Next was a trip to Target for cold medicine. Then Sam's Warehouse Club for coffee and juice. Then the grocery store for dairy and fresh produce. I was whipped when I got home, so I reheated some of the split pea soup I made before the cruise (great recipe here). I guess the re-provisioning could have waited after all.

Around 6:00 PM Monday evening, I received the call I had been waiting for the previous week on the cruise. In my delirium I happily hacked, crackled, and wheezed into the phone thinking that the HR representative was delivering the final bit of good news. Silly me, I thought that after four rounds of interviews, the decision would have been made. But no. One more interview with the COO was required. On the bright side, I figured that by Thursday, I would be fit once again and this Caribbean jungle rot thing I was carrying around with me would have run its course.

Tuesday, I did feel slightly better in the morning so I headed into work, but by the afternoon I was back to feeling feverish and generally rotten. I did not sleep very well between the night sweats and the coughing fits, so Wednesday I called in sick and called my doctor. Besides feeling really yucky - I also felt really guilty for returning from vacation and calling in sick to work. The doctor gave me some antibiotics to clear up my lungs and I felt slightly better Thursday morning. So much better that I got up at 7:00 AM, showered, had breakfast, got dressed and headed to the office. Upon reaching the elevator down the hall, I had a coughing fit that felt as if I were coughing up my toenails. So, I turned around, went back inside my condo, undressed, crawled into bed and emailed my boss that I would be staying home one more day.

The bad thing was that my final interview with the COO at my potential new employer was scheduled at lunch time. So, I took another handful of cough suppressants, slept for two hours, got up and took a very long shower, changed costume three times, and headed out the door with a cough drop in my mouth and three more in my pocket.

When I arrived at the job location, I informed everyone I met that I was sick, to keep their distance, and that there was to be no touching. So, I air hugged a friend, shook air hands with the COO, and kept my germy paws by my side for the next hour. The interview went extremely well. I asked a question and he chatted about it for 30 minutes. That evening, my references started texting me to let me know that they had been contacted.

All was good again in Glenn's world. So much so that I joined Jason for a beer (or three) at the pub to celebrate what I envision to be happy days ahead. Probably not the smartest thing I have done this week, but I was giddy and eager to share my news with a friend.

The Rear View Mirror: Ship, Taxi, Plane, MINI, Home

The Rear View - Indeed!

Usually, when the last day of vacation arrives, I have a good breakfast, put on my traveling blinders, and focus solely on the steps required to get home. There is no talking, just the need to keep moving towards the destination. Today, along with my feelings of happy things to come in the next weeks, there was also a bit of regret and bitter sweetness. As I dragged my bag down the ship's hallway one last time, I looked forward to seeing Roxy, sleeping in my own bed, getting back into a routine, and seeing my friends at home.

In the cab it struck me that I was, once again, leaving behind some of the best friends in the world. Some who have been in my life for so long now that they are more like family. There are others who were rediscovered or newly found who also contributed to making the last week a spectacular blur of warm breezes, blue seas, bling, dancing, laughing, eating, and drinking. I am often in awe of my tribe and the fun that follows them.

At the airport, I was a little regretful of my decision to skip next year's February cruise. There are two main reasons for this decision: I was not thrilled with the itinerary in that I have been to Key West and to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. The other is that while I love leaving reality behind for a week, there are other parts of the world I would like to visit.

Our Next Big Adventure: The Greek Isles

The travel agency we use to book our cruises (Concierge Travel) also does excursions such as an Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Trips to Machu Picchu, and cruises to the Galapagos Islands. These trips are definitely not as large as the RSVP cruises, and they are a bit more pricey, but I am eager for some new experiences. John, Jay, and I will be taking one of these smaller ship excursions this summer when we visit Turkey and the Greek Islands. So, while I may be jealous, envious, and petty about not having a winter 2013 vacation on the books, I have a lot to look forward to in the coming year.     

My bitterness, however, did not stop there. Upon arriving in Raleigh, the temperature was a cold, rainy 40F (5C) with a stiff breeze. That night there were also snow flurries. The only silver lining to this cloudy day was that I arrived home around 2:00 PM, had the entire day ahead of me to unpack, and Monday was a work holiday. Yay for me!

But the cough and cold were not giving up so easily....

Happy Endings

Final Tea Dance of 2012 Cruise

All good things come to an end. The last day at sea was spent doing a little shopping in the photo lounge, visiting friends on the iguana deck, evening up the tan in those last few places, spreading good cheer, working on a few blog posts while the memories were still fresh, lunching by the Lido deck pool with Frank and Andre, and wishing I had a better connection to the internet. At 75 cents a minute for painfully slow access, I attempted to stay away from the internet as much as possible during the week, but I was eagerly awaiting some news by email.

A Sea of Green

By late afternoon, we were all back together in party mode for the final tea dance of the cruise. The theme for today was a retro green party. Apparently, every Party Store on the East Coast had been raided. Luckily, with St. Patrick's day just around the corner, there were at least enough green wigs to supply our ship with the beginnings of costumes.  But I guess a hairdo is the crowning glory for every ensemble.

John, Frank, Kim (Travel Agent), Jay, Andre, Glenn

Our group was rather subdued for this party. After the success of our Castaway costumes and the Queen of Hearts wigs, we pretty much blended into the green background of our people at their finest. 

Holland America Staff Being Cheered!

 Towards the end of the tea dance, some of the Holland America staff came out to thank RSVP and all us cruisers for a great week. They held up signs saying "Thank You," "RSVP," Rainbow flags, etc. I must admit that the Holland America staff are always wonderful on these cruises. All the staff we spoke to commented on how much they all look forward to the RSVP cruises because, for them, this week was like a week off. They all have so much fun while we are on board, and I am guessing they have lots of stories to tell when they get home. But, as they were all up on stage, I got a little glisten of gratitude in my eye as the staff applauded us and we cheered them for another wonderful week at sea. It is amazing how seven days can speed by in such a blur.


After so much fun in the sun and late night dancing under the stars, my body was beginning to give out just a bit. I had been waking up with a froggy voice for several days, but that seemed to go away by lunch time. I attributed it to the air conditioning in my room. I did not, after all, feel bad, feverish, or as if I were getting sick. But, the Lauren Bacall voice was soon accompanied by a stuffy nose and a dry cough. I knew what was coming, but I hoped to make it off the boat before becoming patient zero.

For our last evening on board, we had reservations at the Tamarind Restaurant, which is one of the higher-end dining experiences on board. Since our experience last year was so memorable, we decided it would be a fitting end to our winter vacation at sea. Our reservation was at 8:30. We were seated promptly, but the service was incredibly slow. Since I am not one to complain (hahahaha), I assumed that the food was not as tasty as our last visit due to my stuffy nose, but apparently everyone else felt the same. I would say that this meal was the only disappointment I had during the week, but I may have had too many expectations, or the chefs could have been worn out after a week of feeding so many hungry bears.

After dinner, we all met up in the casino bar for a final farewell drink. I had an early departure scheduled for Sunday morning. Reality awaited me in cold rainy Raleigh, NC.