I get the impression I don't come off like a total dork upon first impression, because I really enjoy the reactions I get when people get to know me in a "whoo fun!" casual, social context and then realize at some point that I'm actually stealthily dorky/nerdy/whatever. This usually happens when someone brings up a computer game from my childhood (hey, I said I liked spending time with the men in my family, okay?) or I accidentally slip out a reference to my childhood obsession with Star Wars. The polite, blank stares generally slide in my direction until I explain that, in fact, my greatest disappointment with the scale model Millennium Falcon (complete with smuggling hatch!) was that it was too small for Barbie to fit inside without lying down, and that it was thus a little awkward for her and Luke Skywalker to take to her pink, plastic hair salon. People don't think of these things when they make toys, and it's frustrating!
Anyway, I digress. The original point to this back story was that I'm just generally sort of weird and all over the place with my interests, and it's been difficult to fulfill all of my needs regarding them in Tuebingen. Rowing has turned out to be nearly impossible here since we can't actually get anyone at the local club to pick up a phone or answer an email (grr.). I want to be baking and cooking fancy things all the time but 1) my housemates are awkward and spending prolonged periods of time in the kitchen is just asking for it, and 2) I need more supplies and gadgets and haven't wanted to buy them since I'm here for a very finite period of time and wouldn't have the space to bring much home. It's been hard to sew or knit since I don't have a machine and yarn is expensive, so I'm not doing any of the former or as much of the latter as I'd like.
Over the past year, I've been getting into the idea of finally having my (well, our) own place, and I think because of that, "It's mine! It's mine!" feeling, I've been simultaneously getting more and more excited about making absolutely everything possible. Gilder and I have been talking about making all of our own bread, sauces, yogurt, jams, preserves, bacon, you name it. I've found a phenomenal blog for this called Eating From The Ground Up that also has an accompanying cookbook which I can't wait to buy. Not only have I been getting psyched to have a real kitchen back again, but I've also gotten onto mailing lists for some great general crafting websites, and am being enticed by the constant advertisements for video workshops and books on knitting and sewing. I did lots of sewing as a younger kid, but haven't really had the time or the space for it in quite a while. I did mostly quilting and doll making at summer sewing camp, but after I started knitting sweaters in particular, I realized how fun it would be to make my own clothes. Skirts, blouses, pants--I have tons of things I want to make, as well as a number of knitting projects I want to be working on, mostly beautiful sweaters. I could get a video class about creating a pattern from beloved pants or shorts and replicating them! I could buy one on blouse-making! They're both on sale! I could learn to knit sideways! I could make this pullover from the copy of Interweave Knits sitting on my bed, waiting for me at home!
You can wear this bad boy four ways, both upside down and backwards! (Photo credit: Interweave Knits via ravelry.com)
What's killing me is that now, while I have the free time, I don't have the resources I need to be working on all of these fun things, and it's making me a little crazy. Add to that that I haven't been able to do much in the way of rowing or working out and, with the exception of having to leave all the wonderful people I've met here, I'm so ready to be home.
The one bright spot is that I did just purchase what I am convinced is the greatest workout tool around: a theraband. Once the excitement of feeling like a real college student and being able to do whatever I wanted, pretty much whenever I wanted, wore off, I started to miss my daily routine and being on the water desperately. I just don't like feeling weaker and non-functional, so when I ran across these guys in a store while out shopping with my au-pair, Andrea, I knew I had to get one. It was about 8 bucks for 1.5 m of band, and at the beginning of the week I started trying to see if I could work out a strength training routine. I went for the green color, figuring I'm not in any way weak but definitely haven't been training, and it's been surprisingly effective at getting me sore and feeling like I'm doing something! You can do all sorts of things--leg extensions, squats, curls, presses, butterflies, etc, with the help of a theraband, and I've been really, really enjoying it. Add some ab work and a warm-up and cool down that involves stretching and then dancing around my room like a crazy person (because I totally don't do that anyway) and you've got a decent workout right there. The only thing that frustrates me is that the one exercise I'd really, really love to be doing--the row, where you attach the band at it's middle to an object, step back so that it's taught, and mimic a rowing machine motion--is far, far too easy with the band color I got. Go figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment