Rain sends my train swiftly down the dwayne... er, drain.

So the weather has been absolutely horrible (pouring rain virtually nonstop) for the last several days. I haven't gone running since Monday. Blah. I feel really bad about it. Those running shoes of mine, by the way, are very nice and breathable, which around here also means they suck up water like big sponges.

This evening, it finally occurred to me that I have an alternative to getting soaked. Thanks to a recent investigation of the YMCA (for purposes of employment and/or gym), I have a visitor's pass which is good for three free visits!

So off I hie me to the Y. Only to find, when I arrive, that they close at 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Because they have classes in the evenings those days.

What the f. Seriously. I realize they're a busy nonprofit and they have many things to do for the community in a fairly limited building space, but what the hell kind of gym closes at 5 pm two days a week? The whole POINT of a gym is so you can work out when it's dark or otherwise inhospitable outside. Give me a freaking break. They don't even have a swimming pool, so at this rate, the only thing that would attract me to join is if I got to work there and it was free.

So that killed THAT plan pretty fast. I went to the bookstore and browsed around a while, then went to the grocery store and filled up a basket with fruits and veggies.

The total bill was less than I feared; skipping nuts, hothouse-grown produce, and cheese (and cookies) definitely saves money. Not that I want to live without cheese, or without nuts for that matter, but I have a good stock of cheese at the moment since my parents recently started a new diet and gave me all the cheeses in their fridge, and until I get a job, I must regretfully forgo expensive whole nuts in favor of peanut butter. One thing my mother never really taught me was how useful a freezer is in managing one's food. At their house, stuff tends to sit in the fridge until it gets eaten or (more frequently) spoils and has to be thrown away. But I'm learning to use a freezer now, and it's a good thing. Frozen produce can actually be superior to fresh this time of year, and it's cheaper and doesn't rot.