Eyes on the prize, Violet

Well, the daily regimen (a word I didn't know that I didn't know how to spell, hm) of going to the Wellness Center has made it to Day Three. Now if I'd just exercise once I got there... No, no. For real, I'm spending 30-45 minutes a day on cardio machines. That's a pretty big deal, you know. I am the least self-disciplined person on the face of the planet. But I think this semester is definitely going to be a four-month exercise in discipline, all around. I have too many daily quizzes to slack off on homework.

So. As an incentive to this wellness gig -- you know, besides the wellness -- I'm casting an awfully lustful eye at this. Yes, it's an Ipod. I'm making a deal with myself. I've already somewhat proved to myself that I'm going to do this thing. You know, the e word. (Psst...ex-er-cise.) I know three days isn't much, but it's the longest, most consistent record I've got. And once I lay down (eek!) two-hundred smackaroos for that beeby Ipod, I should have accumulated enough financial guilt to remind myself of the commitment. Plus, hey, I'll have an Ipod to help me whistle while I work and basically to tune out the world. I guess it's not the cleanest deal that I could've struck with myself, but I hope it works. In the meantime, I'll just tell myself this: "It's not for the Ipod. It's for me."

Ha!

But let's be honest here. I don't believe at all in the immediate, drastic lifestyle change that the words "healthy lifestyle" imply. I always think of Evelyn, Kathy Bates' character in Fried Green Tomatoes, you know. Out of virtually nowhere, she starts going to the gym, eating only two peas for supper, making a Good Samaritan out of herself, looking at her vagina in a mirror for enlightenment, wearing and selling Mary Kay products... It's all too mid-life crisis-y for me. And I think a lot of people fall into that trap. I think that's what unrealistic lifestyle changes are -- traps. But I don't want to be a whole new, different person. I just want to be a better me. You know, the me that moves around a little bit each day so that she doesn't die at the age of 30 due to heart disease.

Well, on that happy note, I'm going to recommend that you go see Campus Lights. They're doing the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Hilarious. They have a fine and talented cast. And my neighbor-friend Tessa's character, Smitty, is delightfully wacky. Well, the whole thing is. There's a show tonight at 7:00 and one tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, Lovett Auditorium. Go. Really.