Put Me In The Water - Poker Returns!

Posted by Amy Baranski

What a weekend! Water exercise first thing on Saturday, then grocery shopping, then crock-potting dinner together, then simplifying my work space, and finally a poker game played almost until midnight with some serious poker guests, including someone who often plays down in Olympia with other policy makers.

It was all in good fun.

I haven't played poker since the game nights Melissa and Jamie hosted last year during Poker month. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed the game. Maybe that's because I lost a lot. The epic battle while sitting around the table with good people talking about this-and-that for hours was/is delightful. Best of all, there were no computer, TV, or cell phone screens on (except the occasional and necessary Google search and a couple mamas checking on their young.)

This time I played "penny" poker which was really nickle, dime, and quarter poker. Previously I'd only played with chips and a pool of money. Playing with real money changes the game! I learned a ton of new games including Baseball, Screw Your Neighbor, Anaconda, and Bo Jackson. I even won a hand or two, but I did not come out on top. I think that honor went to our stealthy poker playing neighbor Carol. So congrats Carol and I look forward to winning my money back!

Who goes to Water Aerobics?

Before the sparsely attended class at Medgar Evers pool.

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Why isn't there a documentary about water aerobics?  I was at near-threshold for crying almost the entire class, moved by the beauty of the moment.  Moment after moment continued to hit me filled with pure human experience.  Why is it that the elderly always bring that out in me?  I think back to tai-chi in the strip mall and my night out in Snohomish with Glory.  All of a sudden, there I am in an everyday experience having an odd clarity about my priorities and what really matters in life.

My emotional water aerobics experience happened at a Friday morning Hydro-fit class at Green Lake's Evan pool.  After my first class at Medgar Evens pool, I was not prepared for the age of the crowd that gathered to change in the locker room.  My first class never reached any high capacity at only six participants.  And we were all somewhere between 30-50 years old.  Mostly hovering around the 40 year old mean, you know, I bet the standard deviation would have only been about 2 at the most.  Sorry, statistics class is really infecting my life.  And I love it!

So, the Thursday night class, Water Exercise, was intense.  There was nothing magical about it, aside from the Miami Beach pop tunes to keep us pumped up and the entertainment of the instructor showing us what to do in the water from the cement above.  But no life clarity occurred for me in that pool.  I did, however, get an amazing workout.  The kind of workout that leaves you sore for a couple days.  And I like that.  I left that class liking my first experience, and a little confused about the population.  I really had braced myself to be the youngest person there.

Then Friday morning, Amy and I showed up early to the Hydro-fit class.  It was packed.  There were two classes; one shallow end, one deep end.  And there must have been at least 20 people in each class.  Some people were clearly there to get fit, and others were there for the social party like atmosphere.  I wondered if some guys were there in hopes of a pick-up.  I wondered what it would be like to be 80 and single.

I can't wait to get back.  I want to be a part of that "in-crowd."

-Melissa