My employer has denoted this Staff Appreciation Week. One of the perks is free use of a gym this week. I was excited, and showed up bright and early to work out before work… and the front desk there had never heard of it. They suggested I talk to customer service when it opens at 9. You know, at the start of my work day.

I am feeling a typical degree of appreciation.

But at least the staff was willing to take my word for it and let me in. And I’m happy to say I’ve still got (at least a tiny degree of) it. I entered my age on the elliptical cross-trainer, then set it for a target heart rate of 160, and it was all “nuh-uh, old man, you can’t handle it, that’s too hot for you” and I was all “damn your equations, just do what I say!” And I could comfortably maintain it for 20 minutes.

Tomorrow: weights.