Cherryl and I went for CF today and Julie was our instructor. At one time she said this was our first day, another time she said it was our second. We thought it was the third. But it may be the last for me.
We started out nice and easy on the rower, did a few squats (ugh) and then learned med ball dead lifts, barbell deadlifts, and barbell shoulder presses. I did a dead lift of 50# and then she put me on the 15# bar since I was having difficulty with the 30# one (I have the upper body strength of a wuss, apparently). Then we went on the rower, 500m in 2:30 or less. I just squeaked it out. Then it was one rep of 5 jumping pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats. THEN it was time for the workout. I don't remember the name, but it was something like "tomato, tomahto, zomato" whatever. We had 20 seconds of med ball dead lifts (I was on the 15# ball, but I think I could have done the 20#), then 10 seconds to set up and do 20 seconds of shoulder presses, then 10 seconds to set up for the med ball dead lifts. Eight minutes. Julie said we should be doing more reps each set than the previous set. I don't know who she was kidding. I got 11 or so with the ball and around 8 to 10 with the bar consistently each time.
So here's the reason it may be my last workout. I aggravated the tendinitis in both of my hands something fierce! I was almost in tears because the backs of my hands hurt so badly. I have been really careful for a year now to not aggravate that. Gil asked me why we didn't discuss it the other day. Well we did, but we spent more time discussing how to keep my knees from bothering me. I probably shouldn't even be typing, as this is not helping, but I had to get this down. Thank goodness Cherryl was there. She massaged the pain out, which was painful in and of itself and brought me to my knees a few times, and then we iced the hands. The ice helped a lot.
I need my hands to work. I am really concerned about the ramifications from this. The last time my hands hurt this badly I spent months in occupational therapy and in a brace to get rid of the pain. I can't do that again. We are going to run tomorrow and we'll discuss whether to go back for CF on Wednesday. I think she is rethinking this, too, as she relies on her hands for her livelihood (massage therapy) and is afraid she's developing callouses, which is bad. I told her that I had intended to finish foundations to at least give the program a fair try, but I cannot go on like this. Time to ice and rest them.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Still hurting, but a little less
I am still sore. I still have trouble sitting and standing. So I decided to run this morning. I could feel the muscles wobbling in protest, and my time was not as good as before. The temperature was in the mid-80s at 6:30 this morning, and the humidity was super high. I was not using Motion Traxx. I averaged 11:14 min/mi, which is a decline from the other day. But that's OK. Today was Day 2 Week 9. One more day to go and I graduate! My next 5k is on July 3. My legs feel better. I guess working them today helped. I had brunch today with Cherryl and her husband. She said she didn't get off the couch all day Friday because she was in such pain. It made me feel a little better knowing that. Day 3 of foundations is tomorrow at 7:30. I hope we won't do any squats, but I'm pretty sure we will. I may never walk right again.
I never did cast on those socks I talked about the other day. I found out the yarn is not a machine washable yarn, and I don't want to 1) hand wash socks or 2) risk having them felt on my feet. I will rummage through the stash tonight and see if I can find a yarn for my next pair of socks, the ones I'll carry around and work on at home. I did cast on a pair of baby socks yesterday and I finished them today. One of the students aboard the flight from VT-86 that crashed in April was married and his wife is expecting. The wives received an invitation to a baby shower for her. I won't be able to go, as I have to work that afternoon, but I wanted to make a little something for her. I feel bad for her. I can't imaging what it must be like to be married such a short time and see a whole life with your husband and child ahead and then find out he's taken from you in a training accident. That happened with a friend of mine around 8 years ago and it is really sad. So anyway, I thought it was the least I could do to show my support and caring.
Cat paw included for size.
So I have been thinking about Seth Godin's 16 questions. I'd like to share some thoughts with you on a few of them.
2. Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?
I want to make a difference. I want to reach people through a craft, make them stretch out of their comfort zones, and realize their potential. I can do it with yarn and projects and hope that it translates across their lives and develops them into more confident people.
3. How will the world be different when you've succeeded?
Most of my clients are women, so I would like to see more confident and empowered women realizing that they should not be afraid to challenge limitations, whether self-imposed or assigned to them by society or others.
4. Is it more important to add new customers or to increase your interactions with existing ones?
Both. In order to grow the business I need to continue to reach new people, yet I need to take care of my current ones.
10. Are you done personally growing, or is this project going to force you to change and develop yourself?
I don't ever want to be done personally growing. That thought scares me! I want to continue to build on the person that I've become and challenge myself to try new and different things. Some I will like, some I won't. Sometimes I'll fail, other times I'll succeed. Bill and I talked a lot about the future when he was here last weekend. One idea that has been developing is to volunteer with the Central Asia Institute building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That would definitely challenge me and force me to grow, and I love the idea of doing something like this with him. We both bring something critical to the table and we'd be an incredible team! It is an exciting possibility. First, however, we need to see how the deployment goes. There is the rosy, idealistic view and the real world. Let's see if they are compatible. Bill may hate the time he spends there and may never want to go back, no matter what.
12. How long can you wait before it feels as though you're succeeding?
This question is difficult for me. I want to succeed immediately. To me, success is defined as the business covering its operating costs, earning enough to grow, pay us back our initial investment, and let me draw a small salary. By this definition, we are not successful. Yet. We've been open a year and a half. That fact alone, at some levels, indicates success! I supposed I should be patient and continue to nurture the shop. If I don't sell it before we leave, I have another year to reach my definition of success.
14. Do you want your customers to know each other (a tribe) or is it better they be anonymous and separate?
I definitely want my customers to know each other. I am trying to develop a community. I would like people to feel comfortable with each other and want to become friends.
15. How close to failure, wipe out and humiliation are you willing to fly? (And while we're on the topic, how open to criticism are you willing to be?)
This question was the hardest for me. Plain and simple: I DO NOT WANT TO FAIL. That said, my definition of fail is different from not meeting my definition of success. My definition of fail is having to pour more of our savings into the shop and never recouping any of it. I don't want to shut the doors when we move, not having sold the business, end up paying off the loan out of our pocket, and try to sell furnishings and inventory piecemeal over the next several years, at a fraction of their worth, just to get rid of them. That would be failure. After some recent slow days I have considered just shutting the doors before the lease renews. Bill says he'll support me no matter what I want to do, and that means the world to me. The other half of the question is that I welcome criticism, as long as it is constructive. Any ideas people have for making the shop better are welcome. It's the "You shouldn't do (this)." with no explanation of why or suggestion of what would be better that drives me crazy.
The shop has not been a lifelong dream for me. When I realized that I wasn't going to find an engineering job here, I started thinking about my options. I could be an unemployed housewife (which some days looks like it would have been the best choice) or take my new business degree and give this town a new yarn shop. I had several experiences at the other shop which were simply horrible. I knew that people should not be treated that way and I could offer that alternative. I feel like I have done that. I can close the doors and not look back with regret (even if I fail like I described above). This has been an incredible opportunity for me, in terms of a learning experience and a chance for personal growth. It has been one of the most satisfying things I have done! I just don't want my experience to cost my family a huge chunk of our savings. That makes me feel selfish. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I am not doing anything to increase savings, I only burn through it. I think that is why I am afraid to fail (my definition). I know that the knowledge and the experience have been worth it, and if Bill knew I felt this way he'd probably try to smack me out of it. I hope he realizes that I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do anyway.
The recent slowdown at the shop has me worried. I will probably be able to make it through this month's bills, but I am not sure about next month's without some kind of a miracle. Last year was our first year and we did better then than now. I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out why, but I come up empty. I know the economy, the fact that it is summer and school is out, and the oil spill all play a part in the down turn. How can I mitigate these? I have also noticed that several of my regulars are not so regular anymore and that worries me. Perhaps I need to do some kind of promotion to bring them back.
Speaking of promotion, I read somewhere recently that users want social media to engage them, not just inform them. I use the shop facebook page to announce things and those things get posted on my fans' walls. I am a fan of Community Coffee, and they post to my feed almost every day. Sometimes it's promotions like free shipping, but often it is trivia or contests. The most recent one I can think of showed the CC tumbler somewhere in the world. The first correct response won a gift basket. I haven't participated in the contests, but I feel engaged. Same with the Wine Searcher. He's always asking questions. He'll post about a certain type of wine and then ask if we taste the same things, or what was the weirdest flavor we've tasted in a wine. Tons of people respond. I never get any responses to the shop posts.
So I've been thinking. Maybe I can start playing a little game. I'll take a picture of me knitting every Monday somewhere in the Pensacola area and have people guess where I am. All correct responses will be entered in a drawing for a few dollars off their next purchase. I can also send out posts about the different yarns and seek opinions on good projects for those yarns. That would use the two examples I gave above that I like, but adapted to my business. This may increase interest in the brand, as well as help develop the sense of community that I want to have among my customers.
This has been a long post, and quite cathartic. Sometimes it is scary to see my thoughts as words. I feel that much more accountable. But Seth's 16 questions really got me thinking, and I appreciated the exercise. It is nice to give organization to the jumble of thoughts in my head. Thanks for sticking with me!
I never did cast on those socks I talked about the other day. I found out the yarn is not a machine washable yarn, and I don't want to 1) hand wash socks or 2) risk having them felt on my feet. I will rummage through the stash tonight and see if I can find a yarn for my next pair of socks, the ones I'll carry around and work on at home. I did cast on a pair of baby socks yesterday and I finished them today. One of the students aboard the flight from VT-86 that crashed in April was married and his wife is expecting. The wives received an invitation to a baby shower for her. I won't be able to go, as I have to work that afternoon, but I wanted to make a little something for her. I feel bad for her. I can't imaging what it must be like to be married such a short time and see a whole life with your husband and child ahead and then find out he's taken from you in a training accident. That happened with a friend of mine around 8 years ago and it is really sad. So anyway, I thought it was the least I could do to show my support and caring.
So I have been thinking about Seth Godin's 16 questions. I'd like to share some thoughts with you on a few of them.
2. Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?
I want to make a difference. I want to reach people through a craft, make them stretch out of their comfort zones, and realize their potential. I can do it with yarn and projects and hope that it translates across their lives and develops them into more confident people.
3. How will the world be different when you've succeeded?
Most of my clients are women, so I would like to see more confident and empowered women realizing that they should not be afraid to challenge limitations, whether self-imposed or assigned to them by society or others.
4. Is it more important to add new customers or to increase your interactions with existing ones?
Both. In order to grow the business I need to continue to reach new people, yet I need to take care of my current ones.
10. Are you done personally growing, or is this project going to force you to change and develop yourself?
I don't ever want to be done personally growing. That thought scares me! I want to continue to build on the person that I've become and challenge myself to try new and different things. Some I will like, some I won't. Sometimes I'll fail, other times I'll succeed. Bill and I talked a lot about the future when he was here last weekend. One idea that has been developing is to volunteer with the Central Asia Institute building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That would definitely challenge me and force me to grow, and I love the idea of doing something like this with him. We both bring something critical to the table and we'd be an incredible team! It is an exciting possibility. First, however, we need to see how the deployment goes. There is the rosy, idealistic view and the real world. Let's see if they are compatible. Bill may hate the time he spends there and may never want to go back, no matter what.
12. How long can you wait before it feels as though you're succeeding?
This question is difficult for me. I want to succeed immediately. To me, success is defined as the business covering its operating costs, earning enough to grow, pay us back our initial investment, and let me draw a small salary. By this definition, we are not successful. Yet. We've been open a year and a half. That fact alone, at some levels, indicates success! I supposed I should be patient and continue to nurture the shop. If I don't sell it before we leave, I have another year to reach my definition of success.
14. Do you want your customers to know each other (a tribe) or is it better they be anonymous and separate?
I definitely want my customers to know each other. I am trying to develop a community. I would like people to feel comfortable with each other and want to become friends.
15. How close to failure, wipe out and humiliation are you willing to fly? (And while we're on the topic, how open to criticism are you willing to be?)
This question was the hardest for me. Plain and simple: I DO NOT WANT TO FAIL. That said, my definition of fail is different from not meeting my definition of success. My definition of fail is having to pour more of our savings into the shop and never recouping any of it. I don't want to shut the doors when we move, not having sold the business, end up paying off the loan out of our pocket, and try to sell furnishings and inventory piecemeal over the next several years, at a fraction of their worth, just to get rid of them. That would be failure. After some recent slow days I have considered just shutting the doors before the lease renews. Bill says he'll support me no matter what I want to do, and that means the world to me. The other half of the question is that I welcome criticism, as long as it is constructive. Any ideas people have for making the shop better are welcome. It's the "You shouldn't do (this)." with no explanation of why or suggestion of what would be better that drives me crazy.
The shop has not been a lifelong dream for me. When I realized that I wasn't going to find an engineering job here, I started thinking about my options. I could be an unemployed housewife (which some days looks like it would have been the best choice) or take my new business degree and give this town a new yarn shop. I had several experiences at the other shop which were simply horrible. I knew that people should not be treated that way and I could offer that alternative. I feel like I have done that. I can close the doors and not look back with regret (even if I fail like I described above). This has been an incredible opportunity for me, in terms of a learning experience and a chance for personal growth. It has been one of the most satisfying things I have done! I just don't want my experience to cost my family a huge chunk of our savings. That makes me feel selfish. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I am not doing anything to increase savings, I only burn through it. I think that is why I am afraid to fail (my definition). I know that the knowledge and the experience have been worth it, and if Bill knew I felt this way he'd probably try to smack me out of it. I hope he realizes that I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do anyway.
The recent slowdown at the shop has me worried. I will probably be able to make it through this month's bills, but I am not sure about next month's without some kind of a miracle. Last year was our first year and we did better then than now. I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out why, but I come up empty. I know the economy, the fact that it is summer and school is out, and the oil spill all play a part in the down turn. How can I mitigate these? I have also noticed that several of my regulars are not so regular anymore and that worries me. Perhaps I need to do some kind of promotion to bring them back.
Speaking of promotion, I read somewhere recently that users want social media to engage them, not just inform them. I use the shop facebook page to announce things and those things get posted on my fans' walls. I am a fan of Community Coffee, and they post to my feed almost every day. Sometimes it's promotions like free shipping, but often it is trivia or contests. The most recent one I can think of showed the CC tumbler somewhere in the world. The first correct response won a gift basket. I haven't participated in the contests, but I feel engaged. Same with the Wine Searcher. He's always asking questions. He'll post about a certain type of wine and then ask if we taste the same things, or what was the weirdest flavor we've tasted in a wine. Tons of people respond. I never get any responses to the shop posts.
So I've been thinking. Maybe I can start playing a little game. I'll take a picture of me knitting every Monday somewhere in the Pensacola area and have people guess where I am. All correct responses will be entered in a drawing for a few dollars off their next purchase. I can also send out posts about the different yarns and seek opinions on good projects for those yarns. That would use the two examples I gave above that I like, but adapted to my business. This may increase interest in the brand, as well as help develop the sense of community that I want to have among my customers.
This has been a long post, and quite cathartic. Sometimes it is scary to see my thoughts as words. I feel that much more accountable. But Seth's 16 questions really got me thinking, and I appreciated the exercise. It is nice to give organization to the jumble of thoughts in my head. Thanks for sticking with me!
Friday, June 04, 2010
Two on day 2
I titled yesterday's post "Ouch!", but that really should have been saved for today. I'm dying here. I am in agony. Cherryl and I went in for day 2 of crossfit foundations. We were supposed to do some work with barbells. Gil took pity on us in our pain and chose a different workout. Different? Um, not really. It was more like, "let's work what hurts!" It is a little (OK, a LOT) embarrassing when you have to be helped up the step to the pull-up bar because your legs hurt so much you can't lift them! We started on the rowing machine, then did 5 reps of 5 jumping pull-ups, 5 push-ups and 5 squats. Didn't he realize I hurt from the squats? Then we had fun with kettlebells. We did swings (I'm sure there's another name for them), arm presses, and squats. There's the squats again. After we were done, we both tried pull-ups with the bands. I don't know which I like better, but it was kind of neat to try. Squats will be the death of me, I know it.
Yesterday after the workout, Cherryl, the dogs, and I went for a walk in the park. I think that helped. Today she suggested that we go for a jog. A jog? Seriously? I know it is good to work the muscles a little after a workout to try to flush the lactic acid. So sure, let's jog TWO MILES! I should have remembered I'm dealing with a military person, who runs 6 miles to warm up and does Insanity. Duh! We were both saying "Ow, ow, ow" the first steps. We went at a very slow pace, around 11 min/mi, which happens to be where I am regularly. I made it the first mile, but then had to walk. It was really hot and humid, more so than when I usually run. We talked about reducing my time and how sprints would help with that. So yay! We did sprints. Boy oh boy was I in pain. And still am.
I called my brother-in-law, the doctor doctor, to see if there was something I could take for the pain, since I can't take ibuprofen. He said nope. The best thing to do was to use the muscles. Is this a conspiracy? So I am trying to move around and stretch a little. I'm not going back until Monday. At the earliest.
I realize that the pain is good. I just wonder if I'll get through a workout without pain. I don't mind being exhausted and feeling my muscles shaking from the workout. I just don't want to be in pain all day every day. I hurt after I started running, but that pain went away and now I just have that exhausted feeling after a run. I am hoping this will be the same once I have worked the muscles I forgot I had.
In other news, it was an OK day at the shop. I have been thinking hard about Seth's 16 questions. I will share my thoughts on them in the next few days. I was able to get most of the way through this month's crochet square (the first of two) and it is a fun pattern. No one showed for the morning session, but a couple of folks came in for the afternoon session.
Oil has hit the beach, unfortunately. There was a faint hint of oil in the air at Cherryl's place. I am truly sick about this. I have plans for a staycation camping trip at a place where dogs are allowed on the beach. The last time we went there, they were like kids in a candy store. I was hoping to let them have the same fun, but now I don't think it's a good idea. I may have to invest in a kiddie pool so they can splash around and cool off.
It is time to go make dinner. We bought some cabbage to make okonomiyaki this past weekend, but never got around to it. Now it's time!
Yesterday after the workout, Cherryl, the dogs, and I went for a walk in the park. I think that helped. Today she suggested that we go for a jog. A jog? Seriously? I know it is good to work the muscles a little after a workout to try to flush the lactic acid. So sure, let's jog TWO MILES! I should have remembered I'm dealing with a military person, who runs 6 miles to warm up and does Insanity. Duh! We were both saying "Ow, ow, ow" the first steps. We went at a very slow pace, around 11 min/mi, which happens to be where I am regularly. I made it the first mile, but then had to walk. It was really hot and humid, more so than when I usually run. We talked about reducing my time and how sprints would help with that. So yay! We did sprints. Boy oh boy was I in pain. And still am.
I called my brother-in-law, the doctor doctor, to see if there was something I could take for the pain, since I can't take ibuprofen. He said nope. The best thing to do was to use the muscles. Is this a conspiracy? So I am trying to move around and stretch a little. I'm not going back until Monday. At the earliest.
I realize that the pain is good. I just wonder if I'll get through a workout without pain. I don't mind being exhausted and feeling my muscles shaking from the workout. I just don't want to be in pain all day every day. I hurt after I started running, but that pain went away and now I just have that exhausted feeling after a run. I am hoping this will be the same once I have worked the muscles I forgot I had.
In other news, it was an OK day at the shop. I have been thinking hard about Seth's 16 questions. I will share my thoughts on them in the next few days. I was able to get most of the way through this month's crochet square (the first of two) and it is a fun pattern. No one showed for the morning session, but a couple of folks came in for the afternoon session.
Oil has hit the beach, unfortunately. There was a faint hint of oil in the air at Cherryl's place. I am truly sick about this. I have plans for a staycation camping trip at a place where dogs are allowed on the beach. The last time we went there, they were like kids in a candy store. I was hoping to let them have the same fun, but now I don't think it's a good idea. I may have to invest in a kiddie pool so they can splash around and cool off.
It is time to go make dinner. We bought some cabbage to make okonomiyaki this past weekend, but never got around to it. Now it's time!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Ouch ...
I've been bothered by my husband telling me that he was sure I wouldn't like Cross Fit. So I have been reading up on it and trying to get some information so that I can make an informed choice. I can't say that I love running. I like it, but I do find it somewhat boring. It does give me time to think, but it still is a little on the unexciting side.
Yesterday I called our local Cross Fit affiliate, Razor's Edge Fitness. I told the person who answered that I had some questions. I was immediately given to the owner. He spoke with me for about 20 minutes, answering all my questions and offering information I didn't know. He invited me in that evening, but I told him that I wasn't able, but I'd try later in the week. After I hung up the phone, I wondered why couldn't I go? Yes, I had the dogs, but I could leave them at the shop. I think the thing holding me back was fear. So I went, leaving the dogs at the shop. Gil, the owner, spent an hour and a half with me, while still coaching participants. He talked me through the program and what everyone was doing. He even had me do a few squats for fun. Then he said he'd see me at 7:30 the next morning.
I left out a little piece. While Gil was working with the other people, I saw a familiar face, my friend Cherryl. She's a massage therapist and she works there, offering chair massages (not her primary job). Well, we got to talking and she was interested in starting, but wasn't sure about it. She said she'd do it with me if I did it. So when I got home, I called her and asked if she was interested in going with me to the 7:30 foundations class.
I got there this morning and Gil seemed genuinely happy to see us. He has an extremely welcoming and comforting personality. He didn't pffft any of my concerns, he talked through them with me, pointing out why he didn't think I would have the problems I was concerned about. After Gil demonstrated everything to us and we tried the three moves out, Cherryl and I worked through a modified version of "Cindy", which is repeating 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats. It is typically 20 minutes, but we had 12. Gil spent some time with me on my squats. Apparently I have a tendency to lean forward which adds load to the quads and knees. I didn't do as many reps as maybe I could have because of the time he took to fix my form, but I am not the least bit upset about that. I'd rather do fewer and do them right, than do more and end up injuring myself. Afterwards, Cherryl and I took the dogs for a walk through the park, which I think helped stretch me out. I am sore in my lower back and a little in my legs when I go to sit down. I feared it would be worse. I guess I'll have to see what happens when I wake up! We're going back for day 2 tomorrow.
I don't know if I will like this. I don't know if I'll do it for the rest of my life. I do plan to finish foundations at the very least and then see if I feel like this is for me. The downside is I am neglecting my running a little. I will have to find a way to work both into the schedule. I think the variety will be good.
The shop was slow today, which seems to be the norm now. I am concerned about the long-term prospects. I think I can make it through this month paying the bills, but I don't know what I am going to do beyond that. I placed several orders yesterday because some of my selections were getting sparse. I hope that people continue to come in and buy. I wonder if the for sale sign in front is affecting business. People ask me about it and I tell them that the landlord is selling, but I should not have to move, as that's what he's telling me. You never know.
Seth Godin writes a blog and offers a lot of good food for thought for business owners and those in leadership and management positions. Many of his posts are skewed towards the management layers of a large company, but occasionally he'll have some gems that apply to me, the small business owner. For example, the other day he posted about what he thinks an entrepreneur should think about (see "16 questions for free agents" in June 2010). There were 16 questions that should be taken into consideration. I thought about my answers to the 16 questions. Lately I haven't been enjoying the shop like I used to and I think it is because I am too worried about the finances. When I sit there for seven hours and one or two customers come in, and only one buys, I get to thinking about how I'm afraid this endeavor will fail. Now, I don't think my husband will love me any less, nor do I think my friends will shun me, if the business does go under. I just want to make this successful.
As if this wasn't enough, I think we are having a/c issues at the house. Tuesday night I was freezing. Even with the thermostat at 80, I put on pajama bottoms and put a throw on the bed so that I could sleep. Last night I was sitting in the dining room and sweating. The a/c blower wouldn't turn off. It's the same thing tonight. So I put in a trouble call, but I doubt anything can happen before Monday. The funny thing is, there is cool air coming out of the vent. I think we probably need our annual recharge of freon.
I am going to put this away and cast on a sock I've been meaning to do. It will be a simple stockinette sock because the yarn is a self-striping/self-patterning yarn and there is no need to do anything else. I am going to try out the 8" circulars I won at Stitches South last year. They look like they'd be perfect for a barbie doll. This should be interesting!
Thanks for putting up with the long post!
Yesterday I called our local Cross Fit affiliate, Razor's Edge Fitness. I told the person who answered that I had some questions. I was immediately given to the owner. He spoke with me for about 20 minutes, answering all my questions and offering information I didn't know. He invited me in that evening, but I told him that I wasn't able, but I'd try later in the week. After I hung up the phone, I wondered why couldn't I go? Yes, I had the dogs, but I could leave them at the shop. I think the thing holding me back was fear. So I went, leaving the dogs at the shop. Gil, the owner, spent an hour and a half with me, while still coaching participants. He talked me through the program and what everyone was doing. He even had me do a few squats for fun. Then he said he'd see me at 7:30 the next morning.
I left out a little piece. While Gil was working with the other people, I saw a familiar face, my friend Cherryl. She's a massage therapist and she works there, offering chair massages (not her primary job). Well, we got to talking and she was interested in starting, but wasn't sure about it. She said she'd do it with me if I did it. So when I got home, I called her and asked if she was interested in going with me to the 7:30 foundations class.
I got there this morning and Gil seemed genuinely happy to see us. He has an extremely welcoming and comforting personality. He didn't pffft any of my concerns, he talked through them with me, pointing out why he didn't think I would have the problems I was concerned about. After Gil demonstrated everything to us and we tried the three moves out, Cherryl and I worked through a modified version of "Cindy", which is repeating 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats. It is typically 20 minutes, but we had 12. Gil spent some time with me on my squats. Apparently I have a tendency to lean forward which adds load to the quads and knees. I didn't do as many reps as maybe I could have because of the time he took to fix my form, but I am not the least bit upset about that. I'd rather do fewer and do them right, than do more and end up injuring myself. Afterwards, Cherryl and I took the dogs for a walk through the park, which I think helped stretch me out. I am sore in my lower back and a little in my legs when I go to sit down. I feared it would be worse. I guess I'll have to see what happens when I wake up! We're going back for day 2 tomorrow.
I don't know if I will like this. I don't know if I'll do it for the rest of my life. I do plan to finish foundations at the very least and then see if I feel like this is for me. The downside is I am neglecting my running a little. I will have to find a way to work both into the schedule. I think the variety will be good.
The shop was slow today, which seems to be the norm now. I am concerned about the long-term prospects. I think I can make it through this month paying the bills, but I don't know what I am going to do beyond that. I placed several orders yesterday because some of my selections were getting sparse. I hope that people continue to come in and buy. I wonder if the for sale sign in front is affecting business. People ask me about it and I tell them that the landlord is selling, but I should not have to move, as that's what he's telling me. You never know.
Seth Godin writes a blog and offers a lot of good food for thought for business owners and those in leadership and management positions. Many of his posts are skewed towards the management layers of a large company, but occasionally he'll have some gems that apply to me, the small business owner. For example, the other day he posted about what he thinks an entrepreneur should think about (see "16 questions for free agents" in June 2010). There were 16 questions that should be taken into consideration. I thought about my answers to the 16 questions. Lately I haven't been enjoying the shop like I used to and I think it is because I am too worried about the finances. When I sit there for seven hours and one or two customers come in, and only one buys, I get to thinking about how I'm afraid this endeavor will fail. Now, I don't think my husband will love me any less, nor do I think my friends will shun me, if the business does go under. I just want to make this successful.
As if this wasn't enough, I think we are having a/c issues at the house. Tuesday night I was freezing. Even with the thermostat at 80, I put on pajama bottoms and put a throw on the bed so that I could sleep. Last night I was sitting in the dining room and sweating. The a/c blower wouldn't turn off. It's the same thing tonight. So I put in a trouble call, but I doubt anything can happen before Monday. The funny thing is, there is cool air coming out of the vent. I think we probably need our annual recharge of freon.
I am going to put this away and cast on a sock I've been meaning to do. It will be a simple stockinette sock because the yarn is a self-striping/self-patterning yarn and there is no need to do anything else. I am going to try out the 8" circulars I won at Stitches South last year. They look like they'd be perfect for a barbie doll. This should be interesting!
Thanks for putting up with the long post!
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
A relatively average day.
Today was nothing to write about, for the most part. I ran this morning for the first time in a few days. I tried the MotionTraxx that my husband had downloaded. When I count my pace, I seem to be running at 78-79 right (or left) feet per minute. So I queued up the 160 song, figuring that little extra would push me a little. It sure did! Today was Week 9 Day 1 of the Couch-to-5k program. I ran 30 minutes without stopping and covered 2.79 miles, for an average of 10:41. I am really pleased with that! I may not have followed the electronica beat exactly, but I did my best to keep up with it when I could. Perhaps these are not so bad.
The day at the shop was not terribly thrilling. I did get the chance during knit night tonight to complete two projects. All I had to do was weave in all the ends of the helmet liner I made for my husband when he deploys in the fall and I made a baby "smoking jacket" for my sister and in-utero niece or nephew. The sweater is actually just a raglan sweater with a shawl collar and the pattern is called Baby Sophisticate. The helmet liner is from the Citizen SAM website and is the "official" pattern for those who want to knit them and donate them to the military.
In sad news, the sister mentioned above lost her sweet kitty, Natasha, last night. She had been fighting lymphoma, but it just became too much. I know my sister and my brother-in-law are grieving and I wish there was a way to comfort them. Losing a pet is difficult.
So that I don't end on that sad note, Here is a happy picture of our two dogs in front of our gardenia bush. It is blooming and smells heavenly.
There is nothing out of the ordinary on my agenda tomorrow, so I may not be posting again. I don't think I'll be posting every day. I certainly don't want to bore you with details of my relatively average days. Just every once in a while :-).
The day at the shop was not terribly thrilling. I did get the chance during knit night tonight to complete two projects. All I had to do was weave in all the ends of the helmet liner I made for my husband when he deploys in the fall and I made a baby "smoking jacket" for my sister and in-utero niece or nephew. The sweater is actually just a raglan sweater with a shawl collar and the pattern is called Baby Sophisticate. The helmet liner is from the Citizen SAM website and is the "official" pattern for those who want to knit them and donate them to the military.
In sad news, the sister mentioned above lost her sweet kitty, Natasha, last night. She had been fighting lymphoma, but it just became too much. I know my sister and my brother-in-law are grieving and I wish there was a way to comfort them. Losing a pet is difficult.
So that I don't end on that sad note, Here is a happy picture of our two dogs in front of our gardenia bush. It is blooming and smells heavenly.
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