I was hoping to meet the mail truck when it came around and hand my USPS packages off to the guy but I didn't see them.
So I packed things that really had to go out and thought I had a gap in the rain. I got a bit wet riding to the downtown post office but not too bad. I dropped off the things and headed for home, then remembered I wanted to do some chin-ups so went back to St. James Park where I found the chin-up bars were being used by a short bearded bum, who seemed to be doing some kind of meditation routine and not likely to be done soon.
It was the equivalent of being in a gym and the machine you want to use is being sat on by someone checking their email or playing Angry Birds or something. So I asked if I could "work in" and was able to, and we talked. He told me Ryland Park which is this little park on First Street has a ton of equipment (my impression was always that it was a sort of home base for a lot of bums so I'd avoided it but then what is Muscle Beach in Los Angeles?) and I told him about an exercise I'd just learned about called the "Russian Twist" which seems to be better than set-ups and doesn't require something to hook your feet onto.
The old guy was kind of impressive in that he could do overhand chinups maybe not up to chin level but with legs straight out, for two clean reps. He said he used to do sets of 6 but age and weight have cut that way down. I said it may be hard (because he likely lives on whatever is handed out at the "bum feeds" in the park and whatever he can scrounge) but if he can cut out all sugars and starches, the weight will come right off.
So we exercised and chatted, and it was OK. I got more wet going from there to Nijiya where I got some things, then rode home. I got really mucked up by the rain and stuff being kicked up by the rain, my bike, and the cars on the road though. I'm out of clean changes of sweat pants so I really don't want to take the bike out into rain like that again - I can actually stay drier and cleaner if I walk and take public transit.
What I *might* do, is get things packed tomorrow morning and walk out with my USPS packages, get on the light rail and take them to the post office, then go over to Whole Foods and refill my Clipper Card because I've only got something like $4.25 on it. I've got two large Ross bags that are good for keeping things dry.
I'd practiced last night, doing 1/2 step bends downward or at least trying to, like Adam Rapa recommends, and then a memory came to me, of watching some documentary about some young handsome "genius" trumpeter, not sure if it was Nakariakov or some Swedish guy, showing him doing that every exercise and saying something to the effect of, "It sound ugly but makes my playing beautiful".
I think the flute playing has really helped me, in that now I know that if I can't hit a high note, the thing to do is relax and know I can do it and try again.
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