Saturday I finally followed through on my intentions and reactivated my gym membership. I went inactive about a year and a half ago, when I became too sick to be able to take full advantage of my membership. I should have reactivated long before this, but it wasn't until I started rehabbing my arm that I realized I couldn't put it off any longer. I've lost a lot of strength in my triceps, to the point where pushing doors open with my right arm or pushing large books back onto bookshelves had become nearly impossible. The nerve flare-up has subsided, so I should be able to regain strength rapidly, if I just keep working at it.

I did a half-hour cardio at the gym as well as some limited exercises for my arm. I'm totally unfamiliar with most of the equipment at the gym, and feel like a complete nerd trying to read the instructions on the sides of each piece of equipment. The Socialist was there to help me on Saturday, but I'm going to have to figure this stuff out on my own most days.

The Socialist and I have been taken up playing chess on Friday and Saturday nights. I made the mistake during the first game we played of checkmating him in some sort of sneak attack move that was so sneaky that even I didn't see it coming up. Now he thinks I'm some kind of chess hustler. In all honesty, though, I can do little more than move the pieces about the board like so many little rabbits running from the hounds. He's won four or five games since that first lucky game, but he still insists on giving me more credit than I deserve, and over-analyzes most of my moves.

I'll have to find myself a good chess manual so I can make myself worthy of his apprehensions.