Day 24: Well, At Least the Toilet Stopped Leaking

For the past few days every time I went in the bathroom I had to mop up a large puddle that had formed on the floor. The first time I noticed it, I was all ready to yell at Scott about not closing the shower curtain all the way when he showered or even for having terrible aim (ewwwww!). But then when I went back into the bathroom, I noticed it again and I realized that the toilet was leaking. And it was getting progressively worse. I called maintenance on Monday, but of course, they didn't come until Tuesday so I had to continue to mop up. We call things like that the price we pay for the price we pay for this apartment. I've been in this same apartment for 16 years. My former roommate was here for 10 years before that. Hoboken has rent control, which makes living here a lot more affordable than most places in Hoboken.

And that is good. Because our apartment is so full of crap we had to rent a storage unit to hold the overflow of crap. It is positively crap-tacular. I keep telling myself that I'm going to go through all this crap and start to chuck things out. Since I'm trying break old habits and start new ones, perhaps I can break my pack rat habit. I'm searching for the life metaphor here. Maybe it's not only this extra weight that is weighing me down in my life, perhaps it's all the extra crap I keep around me. Tons of old boxes. Piles of old clothes I never wear and shall we discuss the shoe issue? I have lots of old shoes filling the bottom of my closet that haven't been on my feet in years. Perhaps if I start clearing the clutter, I'll have room for new things in my life.

And more practically, maybe I'll have more room in the house to exercise. I find myself clearing little spots to make room for what I should be doing, but by the time I get it all cleared, I'm totally out of the exercise mindset. Which is probably why I prefer to exercise outdoors instead. However, my knees are still a bit stiff and sore from Saturday's hike so I decided to give them a break last night. I pulled out the exercise bike and moved it into the bedroom so I could watch TV while I rode. The exercise bike was a $50 purchase on Ebay. It's got those handles that move too so when you ride you are moving your arms as well as your legs. It also has the world's most uncomfortable seat. When Scott used to ride it, he used to put a pillow on the seat. I stuck in a DVD of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" (I'm in the middle of rewatching the entire run of the series. Bruce Boxleitner is soooo dreamy.) And I hopped on the bike. Wow, there was just no focusing. I'd watch the TV a bit, then I'd hop of the bike for a sec to move something or get some water. It's even worse than the treadmill. At least on the treadmill, I can keep moving for at least 30 minutes at a decent pace before I get bored. On the bike, I really struggled to get through a half hearted 30 minutes, which took more like 45 with all the distractions. I'm not sure I'll be hitting the bike again. I guess it's time to sell it on Ebay.

I have a real bike. It's in my storage unit. I plan on pulling it out of storage. I think, much like I find it easier to walk several miles outside, I will find it easier to ride outside as well. At least I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere. Also, I can start riding it to the grocery store or Target or on other errands I need to run. Maybe explore all the roads in Hoboken and some in Jersey City and Weehawken (although Weehawken may have to come later because it involves a couple of hills...) It will save on gas too.

See what I mean about good intentions?

Well tomorrow is my massage. I can't wait. I haven't had a massage since I was on the Blogger's Cruise back in January. Then it was heavenly. My massage therapist on the ship took my shoulders and neck as her own personal challenge. And she did a pretty good job.

I should be pretty relaxed and mellow tomorrow night.

Cheerios.