Thursday, December 16, 2010

Doing the Elliptical... Thinking

As our Xmas gift to each other, Mrs. Nasty and I decided to purchase an elliptical machine because we both want to get in better shape.

For me, since both my mom and my oldest brother have had multiple heart surgeries over the past few years, I'm getting apprehensive about my health. Once you add in that I'm going to be 40 in January (and my 40s will be the personal decade that I really start kicking some ass by the way, so be careful) and I'm feeling not only flabby but also "worthless and weak," to invoke the famous video by Twisted Sister (click HERE for that), it's time get my girlish figure back.

So today I was doing the elliptical... thinking.

I don't know why I've been so obsessed with music lately, but listening to tunes does provide joy in my life. It always has, and it's definitely (or defiantly as many college students prefer to "spell" it) better than the fare offered on most of the channels of the squawk box.

I'm rediscovering some old bands whose work I only had on cassettes through the power of cheap downloads.

But to return to the elliptical, some bands just work well for me when I'm pumping my legs and arms on the NordicTrack contraption that is iPod compatible. I'll hit a good song, such as "Mountain Song," and want to push it further.

The band that helped me with this morning's workout is Jane's Addiction, in particular the first album, Nothing's Shocking.

With JA's hard-edge true alternative rock and Perry Farrell's sometimes creepy lyrics, my mind wandered in an extended Jack Handy-like fashion today, so here's a partial offering:

I've always found this phenomenon about seeing the Virgin Mary in various stuff really strange. I respect religious beliefs, but finding all these images of Mary all over the place seems a bit silly. Also, why is she usually crying? I guess I could see that maybe she's crying for the "walking sarcasm" (Twain's words, not mine) of humanity and how we're fouling up Creation, but for Christ's sake, she was the mother of Christ. Who else has that distinction? I would imagine it was awfully hard though to break it to the in-laws that she was indeed pregnant without Joseph and her doing the deed. I mean, how do you explain that you got knocked up by God or the Holy Ghost or whatever, the immaculate conception deal? At least the Greeks had Zeus doing the deed in various but unwholesome guises. Then again, how would you like to come into being like Athena did, out of your father's head? Her birth explains why she was Zeus' favorite. But, to get back to Jesus, how do you think his brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas) and sisters (who are unnamed tellingly) felt about him? I mean, your brother is supposed to be the son of God. That's intimidating.

And today those were some of my thoughts on the elliptical.

3 comments:

Babe Runner said...

She's crying because she's the perfect woman, as envisioned by patriarchal authority (ack, those guys again!): she's a virgin and a mother, and she cares not one bit for her own happiness but expresses only gorgeous sorrow for the rest of us. Probably did all the cleaning-up after that fishes-and-loaves shindig her son threw, too.

BTW, the elliptical is great for random, meandering thoughts, but distance running is even better. And didn't you just know I was going to say that.

Quintilian B. Nasty said...

Yes, yes, I know of the meditative qualities of long runs ~ good stuff.

I'm also pretty sure distance running would make me not so "worthless and weak" in a more efficient manner.

fern said...

I'm confused. You're exercising before January 1, 2011? (I could understand if this was last ditch follow-through on your 2010 New Year's resolution.)