Not the real thing, of course. Just the rowing simulator at the Aquatic Center, and just the pool. But it is worthwhile to keep up the skills in anticipation of actual rowing and swimming.

I begin on the machines. The one I think most useful is the elliptical—it works a number of different body parts. Although fifteen minutes on it is a long time, I assuage the pain by listening to thumping "cardio" selections; one today having a libretto consisiting of just two words, "foreward" and "backward." This little ditty was on loud, but oddly it slowly was drowned by Christmas chorales.

A high school choral group (the high school being attached to the Aquatic Center) had come in to gym to practice performing in front the of wall mirrors that those of us working out concientiously avoid looking at.

The one other exercisist there at the time and I stopped what we were doing, pulled our earbuds, and gratefully listened. Clapping is exercise, is it not?

Of course, the primary reason for working on the machines is to work up a sweat so that diving into a chilly pool is a bit more tolerable.