Once upon another time

Time to reassess.  The past month has been really hard on my new eating plan since I have been gone so much.  I haven't walked, or worked out at all and it shows! 

I made a good faith effort to get back into it in spite of the icy cold weather that is keeping me off the sidewalks.  I bought an elliptical machine.  The price was right and just getting it home and up into my apartment was a day's worth of exercise.

Putting it together is turning out to be a test of patience and spirit.  The thing is heavy.  Just getting it out of the box was a challenge.  I think they pay the packing man by the inch. I don't think it would have been possible to use any more tape if he had tried.  I used scissors to separate the pieces and pry them out of the box.  It was like pulling entrails from a large cardboard beast whose bones are dense and still connected with impenetrable sinews.

Finally, after tipping it back and forth several times I managed to open both the top and the bottom and was able to push the thing through to the floor!  Then I sat down to peruse the three billion screws, bolts, and washers.  I could not believe they make so many kinds.

A person of true faith I began with step one.  Looking for button screws and split washers and unsplit washers, I was grateful everything was numbered.  Well almost everything.  They assume I know the difference between uprights and arms and legs, which all really just look like pieces of tubing. But I was doing good until I came to spacers. 

Careful searching through all the parts did not turn up anything that could possibly be those, so I resurrected all the packing and went back through to be sure I hadn't thrown anything away.  Then I began the process of getting the part. 

I registered on line and called the company.  They finally let me know, after umpteen million choices that I really couldn't talk to anyone until this morning.  So I went to bed and began again this morning.

After forty minutes on hold the man told me they will send my parts in 7 to 10 days.  He sounded tired and young.  Very young.  I hope he can count to 26 and read words.

I, on the other hand, am aging rapidly.