Friday, November 06, 2009

FNG, again.

Cardiac rehab is interesting. Always jumping, always a line. Pop. is generally white male 48-80ish, tho' there is a guy looks about 38, and about 4 or 5 females of "a certain age". Working class to executives judging from clothes. NASCAR t-shirts, shirts with bible quotes, and garage/wrecker shirts on the former; street clothes, surprisingly, on a couple; and athletic suits (?) for the exec.types. There are farmers too, judging by hands and clothing. One gent wears a belt AND suspenders; the hairs on the back o' me neck rise, cannot 'splain why.....

Speaking of sure things: conversations run from football and deer hunting to pissing and moaning about President Obama. Unless there are black people in attendance; then there is no whining about the President. There is a radio, not always on, thankfully. Sessions last 45 minutes without a class, and an hour with a class. I enjoy the rowing machine, makes me feel all a-viking, and detest the Satan bicycle. Going for the gestalt here folks; we also get training on diet, stress relief (HA!), etc. I learned there is one thing no cardiac patient should do: shovel snow. It was news to me . Theories are the arteries constrict in colder weather, exacerbating even minor build-ups of plaque, causing blockages.

Being up to greet the sun, even to shovel snow, is good medicine. My first job in 1968, ink still wet on my Social Security card (thank you, Franklin! ), required me to be there at 0430. Newspapers to sort, count, and bundle for the delivery boys and stores. A great time o' the day. I felt, even those days I froze walking to Columbian Square, that I was getting one up on the day (o foolish youth!). Dad, a reticent Yankee, gave me one piece of advice: "mouth shut and ears open.". It worked at McGaw News Agency, APA Transport, Time-DC Trucking, The Tufts Library, Plaza Men's Shop, and Kellaway Transportation. It worked in the US Army, 3 colleges and two, no three, model clubs. It is working for me now in rehab. Nope,I don't mind being the FNG atall atall.