I've been hiding the fact that I am now a card-carrying member of a fitness club. I joined last week. I go about every other day. I purchased new workout clothes because apparantly in LA, old tshirts and gym shorts are a bit, how do you say, passe.

Pre-LA I was no athlete, but pre-college I was. I wanted to keep it up--I liked being healthy--but I also like sleeping, watching TV, and eating sprinkles, so my lifestyles weren't jiving and running and working out lost. I did lament not having that outlet (and that body) all through college, though, and I always knew it would take me getting out to really change things. I generally need new beginnings--new year, new semester, new season, new week--to change my behavior, so when I got to LA, I figured that nothing would make this change more effective than to prepay for it. So I plopped down some dolla-bills in the hope that I would be guilted into heading to the gym. It's working.

I really hate gyms, though I didn't remember this until after I had signed up and paid and I showed up and walked around for ten minutes and decided I didn't feel like doing any of those fake machines and left. I came back with the roomies (who also joined) the next day and we did a hip-hop class and then some weights. Hip-hop was awesome, and hard. Basically, any dreams I had of being a back-up dancer in a Missy music video were shot. I was a little bit devestated. But we came back tonight and rocked out and were better and now my dreams are building up again.

Afterwards, Pyung and Doug wanted to lift some, but I was done. I bought a $5 protein/veggie/fruit/all things smoothie and went outside. I plopped on the sidewalk and stretched my hamstrings and quads and other muscles like a pro. One of the Olsen twins walked by, leaving a movie. I think she was impressed with my form.