Tattoos and Notre Dame - Good News All Around

Today I'm back at the tattoo artist's for eyebrow touchups and the application of a super-thin eyeliner - all the way across the top lid and half-way around the bottom. I'm really looking forward to this, and after my four weeks of recovery from this session I should be cleared to get back to the swimming pool. I'll be SO relieved when that day arrives - working out in the gym on the machines each day is NOT my idea of a good time. 

Aearwen and I speak on Wednesday afternoons whenever possible
and have done so for several years. Life interferes every now
and again, but we go back to it the next week without a second
thought. I love our chats - we run the gamut of topics and discussions. 

Aearwen - if you're reading this - let's go ahead and try for our weekly chat. I'm going to let you phone me. If I'm in the car almost home from tattoos, I can remote answer it without having to manipulate my phone - a total win/win. I suspect I'll be home already, though, so yeah - let's chat. 

I'm not sure how many of you saw this wonderful before and after
photo of Notre Dame. The mess in front of the alter might be
melted roofing pieces - as I recall, those were lead and lead has a
low melting point. The stained glass windows at the back are
still intact, although I'm sure they are in need of a good cleaning. 

It's looking as though Notre Dame may have dodged a bullet. Sure, the spire collapsed. Absolutely there's extensive damage. But the structure itself is sound - damaged but sound. Most of the artwork is smoke damaged but OK, and is being moved to be cleaned and restored. The rose windows survived - a total miracle for me since glass is my personal media and my passion. The various Christian relics also survived, so lots of pilgrims and believers will still get a chance to be in the presence of the splinters of the Cross, nails used in the crucifixion, and the Crown of Thorns, held within it's crystalline and gold embellished carrier. I'm sure there are many who will ascribe the cathedral's survival as a miracle. I'm more inclined to give props to the incredible firepeople who fought that intense blaze. 

I'm so impressed with what survived the fire. Yes, the spire is totally
toast as is the roof over the cathedral, but the actual structure, although
dirty from the flames, actually looks to be in pretty good shape.
Another miracle for Our Lady. 

What would happen if a similar structure from a more modern date caught fire? The results, I suspect, wouldn't be quite as good. Although a modern structure might have the stone walls and similar building form, the builders of the Gothic times built something with the plan that it would last until God returned to earth to scoop them all up and take them to heaven. It took long decades of labor, multiple generations of builders in some cases, to build the great cathedrals. It's wonderful to have their amazing vision and skill confirmed once again. What masters of construction they were! 

Millions of euros have been pledged from financial powerhouses as well
as individual donors. Notre Dame will rise again, and her skeleton is
remarkably structurally sound. It will be years before she reopens
in her glory, but what an amazing project to be able to work
on - restoring this beautiful structure. 

On that note, I'm getting my act together and heading out to the gym. I'll have to miss the rest of the week because of my new tattoos, so I'd better get a good workout on the elliptical and bicycle today. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow (although I may allow myself to sleep in an extra hour or so since I won't be able to exercise). 

Trying Something New

I've been pretty happy with my cardio training over the past two+ months. My stamina has gotten much better, my reps-per-minute have grown, I've developed a routine on the machines and in the pool that's working for me, and thus, it's time to change things up a bit before boredom and complacency settle in. So today I'm adding a class.

Time to shake things up again and try a class. 

I tend to work self-directed most of the time, but sometimes having that extra push of someone egging me on can make the difference between success and failure. And I also know that I haven't been working on strength or core work, only cardio and different muscle groups. Tuesday mornings from 6:00 am - 7:00 am, my YMCA holds BodyPump classes and I think I'm going to start trying these once a week. (They also have a class on Fridays, but that's a Drowning Guppy day and I'm unwilling to give up my swimming pool time.)

One of the major selling points of this class is that it's excellent for
bone density. With osteoporosis, I'm always on the lookout for
something to help improve that aspect of my health. This may be something
that will work for me. I'll give it a couple of months and then see if I want
to continue having it as part of my weekly routine. 

I've heard from several people that BodyPump was very successful and fun for them. It's basically working with reps and barbells to strengthen muscles and improve body tone. That's what I need, so I'm pumped to BodyPump (oh, that sounds so cliche, doesn't it?). I checked the program out on-line last night while watching "The Voice" and I think I'll have a good time, but I'll also be the new person in the class and totally clueless about routine. Hopefully the others and the teacher will be understanding with all my newbie mistakes.

This is key to success. I find others at the gym to be inspirational and
I love knowing that what they are doing gives me a good goal to strive for.
But any achievements I manage must be put side-by-side with where I started.
It's why I keep records, minimal as they are. 

But things are working for me. I started going to the gym at the beginning of January and I've lost eleven pounds since then, can swim for 45 minutes non-stop, and my machine work has gotten intense. I'm not focusing on losing weight as much as getting into better physical condition, but it's a nice side benefit.

It's a pretty little machine. Now if I can
just figure out exactly how to use it during
the day and how to batch out my sales
at night, I'll be a very happy camper. 

On a side note, I should finally be receiving my new credit card terminal this afternoon. That means I'll install it on Thursday morning because I won't be around to hand-hold on Wednesday. That gives me a day to read through all of the directions and thoroughly understand the machine before I plug it in. All thanks to Derek at Chase Payment Tech for finally managing to push this through. Getting this will be one of my major headaches gone.

I love "The Voice" and the Battle Rounds are an exciting
part of the program This is where the coaching finally starts.
Ferrell brought in Lionel Richie to help mentor his singers.
That's pretty cool! 

Have a great Tuesday, everyone. I'll be glued to the TV again tonight for the next installment in the Battle round of "The Voice", and maybe I'll even manage to get some writing done. Maybe....