Best Buy and Burgers

    I've been telling myself for a while now that I should make a more concerted effort to get more exercise and work at being a little fitter. Of course, it's oh so easy to tell myself these things, but quite another matter to actually do them isn't it? Chronic illnesses and pain make things like exercise quite challenging. It is often said that exercise can improve the symptoms of a lot of illnesses and reduce pain, but in my case, physical activity tends to aggravate my pain, sometimes making it skyrocket. I can often mitigate this by increasing the dosage of my usual pain medicines, and keeping rescue doses with me in case I need them. So while increased physical activity can cause me more pain than usual, getting into better shape will improve my overall health and increase my stamina. It's a bit of a catch 22. I'm a little more sensitive to temperatures, and can end up uncomfortably hot or cold easily. Since Tucson is hot most of the year, I stay inside out of the sun and heat during the day whenever possible. The only exercise I've been getting is when I take my dog, Stitch, out for walks. Of course, I have a Nintendo Wii, but I don't have Wii fit or the balance board thing. I've always wanted to get them, but they're a bit pricey. My mother has been wanting to exercise and get in better shape too, as she's been struggling with some menopausal weight gain. So, we've both decided to join a local gym. There is a Chuze Fitness nearby, and we've heard a lot of good things about them from people who belong. Chuze has a new member special thing, $20 a month for a premium membership. This gives you access to all equipment, classes, tanning beds, hydro massage, personal training, and guest privileges for bringing a friend. There's a $9 start up fee, and a $40 annual fee that you don't have to pay until you've been a member for 90 days. I thought that was a really good deal. I won't be using the tanning beds, but the hydro massage thing is awesome. They also have a cheaper membership, for $10 a month, but you have to pay extra for fitness classes and hydro massage if you want to use them. So, I got the premium membership (those hydro massage beds where calling to me), and my mother got the basic membership. It's a really nice, no-nonsense gym. Their motto is "Less Attitude, More Fitness". You see people of all ages, shapes, and sizes working out there, the staff are all very friendly, and there's none of that macho bullshit I've seen in other gyms. All in all, I'm happy with the place, and hopefully it will make for a healthier Barguestspirit somewhere down the road.

   Anyway, my mother has been wanting an MP3 player she can take to the gym. I got a Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 as a birthday gift last year, and I'm quite happy with it, so I went with my Mom to Best Buy last night to help her pick something out. To my surprise, Best Buy's MP3 player section has really been cut down, they hardly had anything except for the ever present Ipods and a couple other brands. They don't even carry the Samsung Galaxy Players anymore. They seem to be trying to get everybody to just buy a phone instead. Neither of us want a smartphone, just something to play music on and use games and apps. I have a bit of a hatred of cell phones really, I know they can be very useful, but they're quickly taking over the planet. And don't get me started on texting, ugh.

     My mom wanted something that had WiFi and apps and stuff, but the only one we could find like that was the Ipod Touch, which was quite expensive. After searching around some more, I did find something called "Trio", which is basically like a small tablet. It's slightly larger than my Samsung Galaxy Player, but it has everything my mom wanted. It's only 4 GB, but that's fine for her to start out with, and she can always buy an SD card when she wants more space. I also found an arm strap holder for my Samsung Galaxy player, and one of those Zagg Invisible Shields, which they had been out of last time. So we got our stuff, and because we where both a bit peckish by now, decided to stop for something to eat. We have a Culver's here, which opened up a while back. I guess Culver's is more of an eastern thing, but they're pretty good, especially their frozen custard. And what better way to celebrate the joining of a gym than by gorging on fast food? We both got burgers, and a large french fry to split between us. I got a root beer float, my mom got an old fashioned soda, which is really delicious, by the way. We like to eat out on the patio, which faces the street. As we where sitting there eating, some guy driving by in his car yells "Culver's Sucks!!" out the window at us. Probably a disgruntled ex-employee, because who else would go to the bother and waste of energy to announce that a fast food joint sucks to a group of dining customers? Quite silly really. I mean, wouldn't it be better to moon the manager of the place or something? Go figure, some people have no sense.