Shimmery Cheese

Life is a curious place sometimes. I pulled a muscle in my gut (actually I re-pulled it upon reflection), the abs workout in the Insanity program is truly a torture. Its saving grace is that it's only about 14 minutes long if you don't count the warm up or cool down. I gave in yesterday because you just can't jump up in the air, simultaneously bringing knees to elbows while trying desperately to stabilize your side with one with one hand. I tried, you shouldn't. Giving in really didn't interest me but how would the potential medical staff feel about the Insanity program if I'm a patient awaiting a procedure to repair a hernia? Can you jump while holding the offending muscle in place WHILE wearing a jonnie? Maybe, but it would be messy. So I took myself off to the cleaning room for a shower, etc. Someone I'd been hoping to recruit as a friend had invited me to dinner and I really wanted to put a good foot forward. Particularly as I'd have to do it without that little shine that says "I just worked out.". The shower part was easy, but the post water decorating was a little harder. My potential friend has travelled the world (legitimately, not lie me) as an embedded reported for the Beeb and NPR and had let me know she'd been working since 3:00 a.m.on a grant and wasn't dressed for dinner. Now the pressure was on. I knew I couldn't even approach the possibility of considering the option of matching that and had visions of her showing up clad in a khaki war-weary vest, maybe even with old reporter credentials attached to a ripped but patched pocket, not unlike skiers who keep every lift pass they've ever had on their down jacket. Thinking quickly, I opted for a tight black t-shirt, hair up but not too much effort . . . And matching black flats. About the shoes, I hate them. They look great but the liner always comes up when I wear them and they look a little preppy. As an artist, this look does not fly, but they would have to do. Next was make up. Problem was, I didn't have any at home. I do have a stick of Burt's Bees chapstick in shimmery pink . . . What works for the lips should work for the eyes, right? What better touch to simulate that dewy exercised look? It had a mint undertone which after less than a minute on my eyelids became much more pronounced. I'm committed at this point, there isn't time to scrape it off and my thinking was it would only end up in my eyes, which would have been bad, and interesting if it was happening to someone else. Really? What were you thinking? Squinting slightly but dutifully keeping my paws out of my eyes, which are now a little watery and becoming bloodshot, I need to consider my choice of handbag. Using a pair of tongs from the kitchen, which also do double duty in the winter time returning errant coals back to the fireplace (the handles are a little worse for the wear and slightly sticky) I coaxed a nice black Coach bag from that portion of the closet that houses all the rejected but retained purses and bags that a girl collects. Don't get the wrong idea, my husband purchased it for me, proud of the brand and excellent price (I'd never heard of Coach, sadly). After repairing my hair - the bag fell on my head with considerable closet detritus, I went off to fill it with those items that were necessary to not just make it through dinner, but that would also enable me to make a good impression on my friend. If only I'd been able to finish my workout . . . Dinner actually went well, I went for self effacing artist (stick with what you know) and although the food was a terrible pile of greased cheese, the conversation was good. My friend is a lot like my husband so we have relationship potential, I just hope my gut muscle gets with the program.