A real photo of Bret; not a photo of my real tummy. Sigh.

It occurs to me that I may be a little rigid about my workout routine.

A trainer at the YMCA set it up a couple of years ago, and I haven’t changed a thing.

The resistance machines are first.   I start on the left side and continue along the front row.   Then I do the 2 thigh machines in the third row, and 2 sets on the sit-up machine.  I finish up with 22 minutes on the treadmill and a 5-minute cool-down. 

I’m on a very tight schedule.  If I leave the office at 5, I have barely enough time to get to the Y, get through the weights and sit-ups and get to the treadmill (one in the back rows with its own TV) no later than 5:40 central time. 

I can’t miss Bret Baier’s All Star Panel discussion on Fox News. 

If I’m running late, something’s got to give so I can be in front of the TV by 5:40.  The sit-ups are the first to go.  If I weren’t rushing to watch this show, I’d be doing lots more sit-ups and I’d have rock-hard abs. 

I hold Bret Baier personally responsible for the flabby state of my abdominal muscles.

I’m open to many political opinions – right, left and center.    While I find Fox’s endless erectile dysfunction commercials somewhat off-putting, it doesn’t matter.   I’m hooked. 

I don’t even watch the whole show, just the panel discussion.  They have a rotating pantheon of experts and most of them are good.  If I’m being honest, it doesn’t matter who else is on the panel.  I watch the show mainly to see Charles Krauthammer.

I have a bit of a thing for him.

It’s much more than the usual girl/boy crush – I admire Charles for his mind.   His analyses are well thought out and succinct.   Whether delivered with the sternness of a judge or a wryly self-deprecating smile, his opinions are generally spot-on.

I think he’s married, and I’m sure his principles are much too lofty to allow for any fooling around.   Oh, and mine, too.  My principles are really, really lofty, too.  I was thinking of a more cerebral coupling, something along the lines of the Vulcan Mind Meld.   I just hope the purity of my intentions keeps this out of Jimmy Carter’s “already sinned in my heart” category.  

I am not delusional.   I know this relationship is going nowhere, but a girl can dream.  Perhaps, someday, Charles and I will meet, if only in writing.  We’ll trade witty, yet profound, commentary on the state of society.   I will be an acolyte, sitting at his cyber feet.  He’ll chuckle at my blog.   I’ll cherish every communiqué. 

Until then, I’m going to try to be a little more flexible about my workout.  Maybe I should start with the treadmill, then go to the weights and finish with the sit-ups.  I could add ½ hour to the workout, cover everything, and really get this body in shape!

Nah.  See you tomorrow, Brett, Charles. 5:40 central time.