I began working out at the gym consistently (well, er, mostly consistently) back in October or November of last year. I try to go about 3 times a week, and I guess this is about the amount of exercise that would be required in order to maintain a certain weight. Because my weight has been the same the whole time, with two exceptions. One: I went to Virginia in February for my grandfather's funeral. I ate everything that was placed in front of me (and some things that were not). When I weighed myself the next week, in that gym that had become such a foreign and unloving place in only a week's time, I had gained 2 pounds. In a WEEK. I know that weight fluctuates (especially for a woman), but I also know that those 2 pounds definitely consisted of Mexican food and chocolate cheesecake from Olive Garden. I could see a triangle of dessert attached to one thigh, and a big bowl of guacamole attached to the other.

The second exception to my weight came just this last week. I have one of the weakest stomachs in the free world, and I was very much reminded of this fact when I tried to reintroduce meat and dairy into my diet after more than 40 days without either of them. I spent two nights last weekend hovering over the toilet bowl, and boy was that fun. I did feel a little thinner by the end of the weekend, and Mike and I joked about how throwing up may just be a great way to keep in shape. I found the truth in that statement when I weighed myself on Tuesday afternoon: sure enough, I had lost two pounds. I have to say, it's a good thing that I hate to throw up so much, because barfing really does the trick. I certainly don't mean to make light of the problem of bulimia, I'm just saying, I get it.

And really, I would be missing out on so much fun if I didn't work out at the gym. The other day I overheard these two (college) girls talking about their stamp collection. Not the kind of stamps that you lick and put on an envelope, but the rubber kind, with a little ink pad accessory. Now, I will support quirky hobbies- I have to. Two of my favorite leisurely activities are crochet and crossword puzzles- I'm like an 85-year-old woman. The truly funny thing about the conversation was the way that these girls talked, like most regular college-aged girls do. the word "like" was involved way more than it ever should be in any one conversation, and swear words were also included. But they were talking about stamps, and then the conversation moved to pink chalk. It reminded me of the conversation that Lewis Black overheard at the IHOP: "if it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college" (as in, a degree-granting institution).

If that is my only reason for getting to the gym and at least maintaining my weight, then I will take it.