Freeday 9 March 2001

Pic of the day: Some workdays are like this. More or less.

Stretch

Today was preparation day for the software upgrade on Monday. Most of the workers had dutifully checked the serial numbers and mailed me yesterday or this morning, but there was still about a dozen places where the workers had days off or otherwise had not complied. There I had to crawl under the desks myself to find the elusive numbers. This was the first time they were required, for some reason.

My knees were slightly sore at the end of the workday. My right foot hurts too, but I'm not sure how much comes from this work and how much is just bad luck. I'm glad I don't have to spend much of my workday on my knees normally. I wouldn't like to be a priest, for instance, I think. Even though they get to read cool ancient languages too, which is a bonus.

Well, there's always COBOL.

***

Onward to the secret health and fitness tip of cats: Streeetch! Have you stretched today? Cats do it a lot, dogs do it, children do it. But all too many adults forget how to stretch with body and soul. The slow, delightful clenching and unclenching of the whole body, to the tip of your fingers. Stretching not to reach anything, but just to stretch. It is good. It is right. And it is surprisingly healthy. Really stretching a couple times each day keeps your muscles from fading, at least. True, it does not burn a lot of calories. But just having the muscles there comes in so handy. And it's a great de-stressor too. Try it.

Also good with yawning.

***

Speaking of which, it's midnight again. No wild partying this Freeeday either! I considered buying some liquor after work, but did not bother. Alcoholic beverages are supposed to be healthy in moderate quantities, repeated studies show. Of course, these studies are not really anything vaguely scientific in terms of control groups, not to mention double blind tests ... (Would that involve methanol?)

Anyway, it is entirely possible that controlled drinking is a social phenomenon, and more common in social classes with better access to health information and even superior health care. There may even be genetic components, as some basic personalities may tend toward controlled drinking, others to excess or no drinking at all.

Anyway, I ended up not bothering to buy any liquor this time either. It doesn't seem to do much for one like me, and I tend to forget to drink it anyway. I get my joy in other ways ... by stretching my imagination, for instance. And perhaps yours? :)