ABBA Cadabra

Mama Mia. The ABBA song keeps running through my head every time I step outside in the cold. Honestly, it's some sort of OCD thing with me, because as soon as the arctic air hits my face/hands/lung, I think or say 'Mama Mia. Here I go again. My, my Jesus Christ it's freakin' co-old.' No let up in sight. I checked flights yesterday, thinking that I'd get outta Dodge next weekend. LA and Lauderdale were the 2 top contenders. But did you see the temp predictions for Friday? Holy caca, Batman. If the predictions are true, it would scare me to even drive to the airport in sub-zero temps. They'll be using molten lava to de-ice the wings of the planes.

So, I'm stuck here with everyone else... Every time I hear a plane flying overhead I think, 'keep going, 'cause you really DO NOT want to land here.' This is the time of year where the Flyover States earn their rep.

My foot has healed just in time for a lot of indoor treadmill running. I actually ran 6.2 mi on a treadmill on Friday. It's coincidental (and a bit ironic) that while I was exercising physically, I was also experiencing a new exercise in boredom. Wow do I dislike running on treadmills.

After waxing poetic on the great rec centers my little city has, I went out and joined a health club for 3 months. I joined because of the hours (the club opens at 4:30 a.m.), and so I didn't have to wait in line to use a treadmill - as the deadly combo of cold weather and soon-to-be-broken New Year's resolutions cause a population increase at indoor workout facilities.

Like many clubs, the one I joined hit me with options and a contract. The experience was akin to buying a car. Ridiculously complex. I tried to explain (10 times if I said it once) that I really just wanted to use the treadmills, and was not interested in personal trainers or classes. Finally, we agreed on a price that included personal trainers (which I'll never use) and classes (which I'll never attend). But the total price was right. So, with three crap months ahead, I now can run on some seriously excellent machines any time I could ever imagine wanting to use them. Since I'm an early guy, I hit the club between 5 and 6 a.m. At that hour, most of the people there are runners or aerobic types. I see a couple of people I normally see running on the streets, so there is an odd camaraderie to the workout.

Enough about that.

2 movies you should see: 1) Me and Orson Wells - a period piece about a kid being cast in a Broadway play directed by and starring Orson Wells. The guy who plays Orson is fabulous. 2) Up in the Air - not as good as Lost in Translation which had a bit of the same vibe. Up in the Air is a solid and nicely-paced movie starring some big names. The nice thing about it is that is doesn't have a Hollywood ending. It seems quite a bit more real.