Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Fighting Hatred

At the Texas State Capitol

My husband Don and I spent Memorial Day morning at the SB4 Protest Rally yesterday.  Why?  It's part of the hate-filled racist bs that is becoming more and more overt ever since El Cheeto took over.

SB4 is why I've started carrying my passport with me whenever I leave the house.  Don thought that wasn't necessary until yesterday, when one of the racist SOB Republicans called ICE so the protestors could all be detained.  Nothing happened (except that State Representatives almost came to blows over it), but it could have. And the last thing I, an American citizen, want is to be deported to Mexico or South America because some racist cop decides since I'm Hispanic I must be here illegally.  (Of course, carrying the passport only helps if they bother to look at it, but still.)

But Texas SB4 isn't just a free license to racially profile and harass people.  It's also a HUGE burden on already overworked, underpaid, and short handed police officers and police departments.  Instead of doing their jobs, Republicans want them to do ICE's job.  Or perhaps they simply want them to do it in addition to their own jobs.  I'm not sure, but either way it's a BAD idea.

In the end, it makes ALL of us less safe.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Injuries, Illness, and Exercise

I just realized it's been almost two years since I posted here.  Right before my health took a real dive, actually.  I won't go into details, but I grew very ill before having two surgical procedures in the Fall of 2015.

Once I recovered, I found out I'd developed Type II Diabetes from all the inactivity.  Needless to say, sitting in front of a computer blogging was the last thing on my mind.  I signed up for the local YMCA, discovered cardio kickboxing and water aerobics,  and took off to regain my health.

All was going really well until I was hiking the next Fall and broke my ankle.  Geez.  Another six months of inactivity.

But, finally, I recovered enough from that to start exercising again.  I went to a handful of aerobics classes and did a little weightlifting, then I promptly wrenched my knee getting out of a weightlifting machine.  Cue another six weeks of no exercise.

Once again, however, I've recovered enough to exercise.  I found out the pool, much as I love water aerobics, was disastrous for my skin.  And the cardio kickboxing classes had, for the most part, disappeared.  So I'm trying new things.  New to me, anyway.  I'm doing Zumba and Les Mill's BodyCombat.  I'm getting back to lifting.  I even tried Les Mill's BodyPump this morning.

I'm being careful with my knee, and my still-healing ankle, but I'm determined not to give up.  I WILL regain my health.  I WILL defeat the diabetes.  I WILL get back in shape.

Wish me luck.