Not to belabor the point.... but yesterday's mail brought the "out with the old, in with the new" letter from the gym owners, past and present. It was full of B.S. of course, trying to mollify the old clients. Whatevah...
But there was one sentence in the half of the letter from Nancy, the seller, that really cracked me up. As a refresher, Tony is the younger guy with short man's disease , and Henry is the smooth talker.
Quote from Nancy "Tony is well adjusted for his youth."
Which, of course, means he's NOT.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
5 4
Happy Birthday to Gina !
you don't know how long we seached for a G sign for this photo op...
ok, not long at all.. this is gina and her mom at gasparetti's restaurant in Yakima.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Haste makes ....
So, this morning as I woke up I realized I had forgotten to include my cousin Terri in the slew of photos from last night's posting. I cannot even believe I did that. Because she and Kim are some of the very few faithful followers of this world famous blog.
I know what you all are thinking... with the world in the mess it's in, it's this lame blog that wakes you with worry??? and the answer is "yes". But only because I don't have to worry about Jack Bauer... we KNOW he will make it, not so the folks in his near vicinity. Which reminds me, cousin Terri is Terri Bauer. You know, like Jack's ex-wife... But now all my "24" 's are muddled.... did they divorce or did she get killed?? and did you notice that Terri's husband's name is Kim?? you know, like Kim Bauer, daughter of Jack?? yes, it's all very eerie.
Anyway, I digress. Let's make photo amends.
here she is wondering if Jonn's stories will EVER end?
and of course, laughing at my jokes.
I know what you all are thinking... with the world in the mess it's in, it's this lame blog that wakes you with worry??? and the answer is "yes". But only because I don't have to worry about Jack Bauer... we KNOW he will make it, not so the folks in his near vicinity. Which reminds me, cousin Terri is Terri Bauer. You know, like Jack's ex-wife... But now all my "24" 's are muddled.... did they divorce or did she get killed?? and did you notice that Terri's husband's name is Kim?? you know, like Kim Bauer, daughter of Jack?? yes, it's all very eerie.
Anyway, I digress. Let's make photo amends.
here she is wondering if Jonn's stories will EVER end?
and of course, laughing at my jokes.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Family
The recent weeks have brought about a lot interaction with relatives. I'll just post photos.
Gina and cousin Louise (Ljoigge)
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Ashley, Louise, Pria, ATR, G
Tim and ATR (gina always claims Tim to be carbon copy of my dad)
ATR and Aunt Phyllis
ATR and Steve
MaryEllen
Emerson (son of Lisa)
Aaron (son of a gun, I mean MaryEllen)
+of+IMGP6555.JPG)
Lisa and Eric (those michelob ultras are messing with people's eyes)
Gina and cousin Louise (Ljoigge)
+of+IMGP6602.JPG)
Ashley, Louise, Pria, ATR, G
Tim and Stacy and non-blood brother Jonn
Tim and ATR (gina always claims Tim to be carbon copy of my dad)
ATR and Aunt Phyllis
ATR and Steve
MaryEllen
Emerson (son of Lisa)
Aaron (son of a gun, I mean MaryEllen)
+of+IMGP6555.JPG)
Lisa and Eric (those michelob ultras are messing with people's eyes)
Gym Nauseum, part 2
Last Wed. night there was another meeting, this time at the club. To "meet the new owners". I feel like I'm back at work. I haven't been to this many meetings in a while.
This time Henry, the smooth talker, and Tony, short guy whose dad is bankrolling the gig, were in attendance to share their ideas for the gym, and let us get to know them a bit. Almost 2 hours later I think we all knew them enough to not like them. The meeting did get a bit contentious.... which is why I attended. Blog material. One of the guys' MySpace page mentions wanting to be a rock star, so of course one of the moms (who's child care option is gone) made a smart remark. As smooth as Henry tried to be, no one cut him any slack. Including our own Gina, who grilled him on whether the spin bikes will be available at all hours since they plan on moving spin class upstairs to the child care room. (it has a separate outside locked entry way) and on whether they will still offer the family/spousal discount to domestic partners. The answer is yes, but he practically said "what you do in your own bedroom is of no concern..." a simple yes would have sufficed. Not so smooth. What was nice was one of the old guys asked me if we wanted him to ask the question. What a sweetie.
They were BS'ing about some subject and Mac was listening in and called him on it. Standing O for Mac.
One guy, who we don't really like anyway, asked about their business plan, capitalization, everything but his bank acct. #.... Henry said, a bit testily and of course we'll give him this one... "It's none of your business". Which it isn't but his tone didn't win anyone over.
I think the dudes probably got a pretty good snapshot of their clientele at the meeting. 75 people, mostly my age or older, a few handicapped folks, mostly very intelligent and more used to contentious meetings than Henry and Tony, for sure. He's got short man's disease something bad. And no one wants to pay extra for training packages, which is the big issue.
The thing I found interesting was when the new name of the club came up, and Henry says something to the effect of "that was one meeting I shouldn't have missed", as he was wearing an Anderson's sweatshirt. Guess he doesn't like the catchy new name.........................
American Athlete Sport and Health Club. or something like that. They never did say what it's going to be.
The staff that we love, Mac, Chris, Mark and Kat, all have a last day on Friday this week. We'll be gone, and gone for the first week of the new ownership. Can't wait til we get back to see how things are going.
Rock has suggested I write a pilot for a new tv comedy based on this whole affair. He just wants to be in it, but portrayed by Laird Hamilton (surfer God). Stay tuned.
This time Henry, the smooth talker, and Tony, short guy whose dad is bankrolling the gig, were in attendance to share their ideas for the gym, and let us get to know them a bit. Almost 2 hours later I think we all knew them enough to not like them. The meeting did get a bit contentious.... which is why I attended. Blog material. One of the guys' MySpace page mentions wanting to be a rock star, so of course one of the moms (who's child care option is gone) made a smart remark. As smooth as Henry tried to be, no one cut him any slack. Including our own Gina, who grilled him on whether the spin bikes will be available at all hours since they plan on moving spin class upstairs to the child care room. (it has a separate outside locked entry way) and on whether they will still offer the family/spousal discount to domestic partners. The answer is yes, but he practically said "what you do in your own bedroom is of no concern..." a simple yes would have sufficed. Not so smooth. What was nice was one of the old guys asked me if we wanted him to ask the question. What a sweetie.
They were BS'ing about some subject and Mac was listening in and called him on it. Standing O for Mac.
One guy, who we don't really like anyway, asked about their business plan, capitalization, everything but his bank acct. #.... Henry said, a bit testily and of course we'll give him this one... "It's none of your business". Which it isn't but his tone didn't win anyone over.
I think the dudes probably got a pretty good snapshot of their clientele at the meeting. 75 people, mostly my age or older, a few handicapped folks, mostly very intelligent and more used to contentious meetings than Henry and Tony, for sure. He's got short man's disease something bad. And no one wants to pay extra for training packages, which is the big issue.
The thing I found interesting was when the new name of the club came up, and Henry says something to the effect of "that was one meeting I shouldn't have missed", as he was wearing an Anderson's sweatshirt. Guess he doesn't like the catchy new name.........................
American Athlete Sport and Health Club. or something like that. They never did say what it's going to be.
The staff that we love, Mac, Chris, Mark and Kat, all have a last day on Friday this week. We'll be gone, and gone for the first week of the new ownership. Can't wait til we get back to see how things are going.
Rock has suggested I write a pilot for a new tv comedy based on this whole affair. He just wants to be in it, but portrayed by Laird Hamilton (surfer God). Stay tuned.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Raw Food mmm mm good !
Louise had the big idea to find a Raw Food restaurant in Seattle. So of course we found a place nearby and had a delightful lunch. Here is a very brief description that i copied from Wikipedia. Go there yourself for much more info.
Raw foodism (or rawism) is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet.Many foods in raw food diets are simple to prepare, such as fruits, salads, meat, and dairy. Other foods can require considerable advanced planning to prepare for eating. Rice and some other grains, for example, require sprouting or overnight soaking to become digestible. Many raw foodists believe it is best to soak nuts before eating them, in order to activate their enzymes, and deactivate enzyme inhibitors. Preparation of gourmet raw food recipes usually call for a blender, food processor, juicer, and dehydrator.[28] Depending on the recipe, some food (such as crackers, breads and cookies) may need to be dehydrated. These processes, which produce foods with the taste and texture of cooked food, are lengthy. Some raw foodists dispense with these foods, feeling that there is no need to emulate the other non-raw diets.
And here are a few photos of our "pizza, nachos, and noodle bowl". You'll have to do more reading to figure out how they make the crust for pizza and chips for nachos without actually doing any cooking. It all went over my head. And into my tummy. It was very delish and VERY FILLING. I could only eat 1/4 of my bowl and was stuffed for the rest of the day. Which of course did not stop me from eating a huge meatball and pasta dinner later that evening.
gina's nachos (traci, these would not be the nachos you have for breakfast)
Louise's pizza, and Pria holding a "very green drink", which was purple. I won't even post the photo of the red lentil soup.... cuz it was cooked.... and NOT RED. These Rawists need a color consultant.
Raw foodism (or rawism) is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet.Many foods in raw food diets are simple to prepare, such as fruits, salads, meat, and dairy. Other foods can require considerable advanced planning to prepare for eating. Rice and some other grains, for example, require sprouting or overnight soaking to become digestible. Many raw foodists believe it is best to soak nuts before eating them, in order to activate their enzymes, and deactivate enzyme inhibitors. Preparation of gourmet raw food recipes usually call for a blender, food processor, juicer, and dehydrator.[28] Depending on the recipe, some food (such as crackers, breads and cookies) may need to be dehydrated. These processes, which produce foods with the taste and texture of cooked food, are lengthy. Some raw foodists dispense with these foods, feeling that there is no need to emulate the other non-raw diets.
And here are a few photos of our "pizza, nachos, and noodle bowl". You'll have to do more reading to figure out how they make the crust for pizza and chips for nachos without actually doing any cooking. It all went over my head. And into my tummy. It was very delish and VERY FILLING. I could only eat 1/4 of my bowl and was stuffed for the rest of the day. Which of course did not stop me from eating a huge meatball and pasta dinner later that evening.
gina's nachos (traci, these would not be the nachos you have for breakfast)
Louise's pizza, and Pria holding a "very green drink", which was purple. I won't even post the photo of the red lentil soup.... cuz it was cooked.... and NOT RED. These Rawists need a color consultant.
my zucchini noodles ( they were all out of raw kelp noodles, darn) and no, they are not noodles, just sliced up zuch's... with carrots and pumpkin seeds with a delightful tahine dressing.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Pria
I have much to add to the blog CUZ we've had visitors... BUT I have a cold and am going to take the easy way out of blahhgging for the day.
Enjoy one of Australia's finest young fiddlers, Pria Schwall-Kearney. I'm sorry to say my camera only does 30 second videos but here she is.
Enjoy one of Australia's finest young fiddlers, Pria Schwall-Kearney. I'm sorry to say my camera only does 30 second videos but here she is.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
You may remember........
The Gold Medal winning performance of Team S.A.G (Slots, Ann, Gina) in the rythmic blah blah blah event. Well, we finally have some competition. Well, so think they. Is sports, (and I hate to include rythmic gymnastics in that) timing is everything. So, a day and a dollar (a Loonie?) short here is the entry video from Margaret, of Bonneyville, Canada, with her teammates Louise and Pria, both of Melbourne Australia... with filming by the Wizard of Oz, Ashley.
Judge for yourself. I'm sure you will agree..... WE KEEP THE MEDALS !!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
With love for Uncle Jerry
A sad day in blog-ville today. My uncle Jerry died last night in Lansing, MI.
Our thoughts are with aunt Phyllis and all my cousins, Teri, Tim, Eric, Lisa, Mary Ellen, and Steve, and their kids.
I talked with him briefly last Sat. Interrupted his watching the MSU football game. (they won) He was excited because after that game, the Spartan basketball team was playing on tv. A great day at the Laatsch house. I would have loved to have been there.
There is a guy that walks the neighborhood. Once in a while I see him thru the windows when I'm on a machine at the gym. Reminds me of Jerry. Ball cap, khaki shorts, sneaks, white sox, not so tall, tanned, just a cool looking guy.
Laatsch family (Mary Ellen is missing from this shot)
He and Phyllis were always the biggest fans of their kids, and grandkids (and me) playing sports. We played some great hoop games in their driveway.
Sitting with Grady and showing a little leg.
Teri tries to convince him of something.. not sure he's buying.
at Eric's wedding
Our thoughts are with aunt Phyllis and all my cousins, Teri, Tim, Eric, Lisa, Mary Ellen, and Steve, and their kids.
I talked with him briefly last Sat. Interrupted his watching the MSU football game. (they won) He was excited because after that game, the Spartan basketball team was playing on tv. A great day at the Laatsch house. I would have loved to have been there.
There is a guy that walks the neighborhood. Once in a while I see him thru the windows when I'm on a machine at the gym. Reminds me of Jerry. Ball cap, khaki shorts, sneaks, white sox, not so tall, tanned, just a cool looking guy.
Laatsch family (Mary Ellen is missing from this shot)
He and Phyllis were always the biggest fans of their kids, and grandkids (and me) playing sports. We played some great hoop games in their driveway.
Sitting with Grady and showing a little leg.
Teri tries to convince him of something.. not sure he's buying.
at Eric's wedding
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Gym Saga, part 1
Tonight was the big members meeting. Held at the Bathhouse Theatre, on the other side of the lake. One of the members is the artistic director/producer, something.. youth programs.. We hadn't been in there in about 15 years.
Anyway, about 250 people showed (Gina counted). Which is a lot. And all expressed similar sentiments... we love our gym as it is... it's been described as the Cheers of gyms. The new dudes are expected to try and turn it into a spandex and babes place where everything costs extra (personal training, classes, towels, etc) and the staff all become commission based sales persons... Which is really what we all like about our gym.. currently there is no high pressure sales for anything.
There was no new info but we did find out who the lawyers in the group are. :) and the moms/dads cuz the new guys plan on NOT having a daycare service. bad move, guys.
There was lots of talk, and sharing of how we love our gym. And a few suggestions. I think we left thinking we'll hold another mtg. but WITH the new owners to make our feelings known. Which if these 2 guys are true to form, will not matter in the least. We've all already filled out questionnaire which i guess they haven't had time to read yet.
I think what we all hope happens is that in a year or less they will realize they can't make money in the gym business, and then we can all take over on a co-op sort of basis. And had Nancy, the current owner, had a sense of her clientele, she would have made it known she was looking to sell and given folks a chance to come up with a plan. She's owned it for 20 some years, knows the clientele. but no...
but we'll see.. still have no real idea what these 2 guys will do, altho i saw their CraigsList ad for new employees, which was bullshit , but the new name of what has been Anderson's Fitness Ctr. for 30 years is...... American Athlete Sport and Health Club... catchy, eh?
Time for Cold Case........................
Anyway, about 250 people showed (Gina counted). Which is a lot. And all expressed similar sentiments... we love our gym as it is... it's been described as the Cheers of gyms. The new dudes are expected to try and turn it into a spandex and babes place where everything costs extra (personal training, classes, towels, etc) and the staff all become commission based sales persons... Which is really what we all like about our gym.. currently there is no high pressure sales for anything.
There was no new info but we did find out who the lawyers in the group are. :) and the moms/dads cuz the new guys plan on NOT having a daycare service. bad move, guys.
There was lots of talk, and sharing of how we love our gym. And a few suggestions. I think we left thinking we'll hold another mtg. but WITH the new owners to make our feelings known. Which if these 2 guys are true to form, will not matter in the least. We've all already filled out questionnaire which i guess they haven't had time to read yet.
I think what we all hope happens is that in a year or less they will realize they can't make money in the gym business, and then we can all take over on a co-op sort of basis. And had Nancy, the current owner, had a sense of her clientele, she would have made it known she was looking to sell and given folks a chance to come up with a plan. She's owned it for 20 some years, knows the clientele. but no...
but we'll see.. still have no real idea what these 2 guys will do, altho i saw their CraigsList ad for new employees, which was bullshit , but the new name of what has been Anderson's Fitness Ctr. for 30 years is...... American Athlete Sport and Health Club... catchy, eh?
Time for Cold Case........................
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Halloween, continued
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzETKL6vM5Y
This is a fun video from the Woodland Park Zoo.
and since I'm trying to write at least one posting per day for the rest of Nov. you know I will take the easy way out. esp. to start.
This is a fun video from the Woodland Park Zoo.
and since I'm trying to write at least one posting per day for the rest of Nov. you know I will take the easy way out. esp. to start.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Boo !
gina cheryl and atr and our biggest fan
ridin in style
aloha from the wednesday spin class
Rachel gets some camera time ( boy, she and gina are SO MUCH GRAYER than I )
instructor extraordinaire, Cheryl Marek... no really, google her, you will be impressed.
Atr and Willa.... the infamous Willa (and Walt) (Walt just got the cochlear implant and it's great)They take bike trips to France every year, by themselves! (no sag wagon,translators, arrangers). They just came home from one in Croatia (she said it was hilly) and I'm guessing she's at least 2 decades older than me. But she thinks the spin class might be too hard.. she kills me. We love Willa.
Cris and Cheryl. If you're wondering about Cris's costume, she said it's "Mai Tai". She's a new author of "Fresh Off the Couch"... a new workout book for ...... well, I don't want to give up the plot.
your faithful blahhger.... and her "scream in a pocket"
but, Please, wipe off the mats after using them...
ackkkkk TWINS so scary
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Test
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anntoots/
Hey, someone, maybe one of my Followers could let me know if this takes you to my flickr fotos. Thanks.
Hey, someone, maybe one of my Followers could let me know if this takes you to my flickr fotos. Thanks.
Followers
I just noticed a flaw in the Blogspot system...
I see that I have 2 followers... and thank you very much for that... but it seems to give me the option to "manage" my followers. And knowing those 2, I highly doubt I could.
Now, I must go find out about becoming a follower of their blogs. Is there a fee to pay? a test to take? a uniform to wear? a geographical boundary in which to live?
I see that I have 2 followers... and thank you very much for that... but it seems to give me the option to "manage" my followers. And knowing those 2, I highly doubt I could.
Now, I must go find out about becoming a follower of their blogs. Is there a fee to pay? a test to take? a uniform to wear? a geographical boundary in which to live?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Pumpkin Push Photos
That's our gal !!
The famous Wendy Jones, in the orange and red
Gina and her tall friends... Matthias and Tim, both Microsofties, by the by... but we know them from our Saturday morning running group, Always Running.
Pumpkins, of course
Chewbaca ran, too
Here's the Starbucks customer of the week running like there's a tall non-fat waiting at the finish line.... no, not the photographer.
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