More on the Dodie Smith front. I read an essay called "Literary Executions" by Julian Barnes which was supposed to be about wresting control of film rights for I Capture the Castle back from Disney (which bought them up after the success of 101 Dalmations), but the essay proved to be nothing of the sort. It was a good essay, yes, and an entertaining one, and did discuss things like how Dodie Smith had heard once that the Japanese eat dogs, and refused to have her work published there, and how Barnes had to decide if Smith's misinformation meant that he should respect her wishes verbatim or go with the spirit of the wish and make her heirs another sum of money. It was an interesting essay for other reasons, too, like how being a literary executor (and a conscientious one at that) is a way to pay back a writing mentor.
Have not done Greek in weeks, and no gym in days. I did garden all weekend, which was supposed to fill in for the gym, and the last time I went to the gym, I hopped on the rowing machine and hopped back off a broken woman. At the same time, between my sore throat, a good week at the gym last week, and eating just a tiny bit more sensibly, I have dropped ten pounds, but that just brings me down to my pre-winter weight. No, the goal isn't too lose weight, the goal is to feel better--but the goal is also to be able to take up running again, and quite honestly, running is going to require shedding a significant portion of my extra baggage for me to really enjoy it.
May 1st, btw, marked the 1-year anniversary of taking my fitness more seriously. For the record, I started water aerobics and did that three times a week for the whole summer, and this increased my endurance to the point that I could contemplate things like doing 30-40 minutes on the elliptical machine or stationary bike. During trips to the lake, I kayaked as well, which I rather enjoy. I also took up yoga this January, and the benefits of that have been tremendous. My exercise schedule does occasionally get slapdash, but I have put in more exercise in the past year than I probably had in the previous ten years. Well, since I gave up running, I guess. Or paintball.
I still have a lot of ground to cover.