Where are my endorphines?

Isn’t exercise supposed to release endorphines and all this other feel good stuff? I need some of that. I’m not depressed, or at least I wouldn’t describe it as such. I’m...restless? Lacking stimulation? It’s hard to self diagnose.

I joined a gym today. I’d had my eye on this gym last year in Salzburg but never signed up because I did aerobics and weight lifting courses at the Uni instead. There is one pretty close to my place in Vienna though, so since I got paid, I decided I would sign up. And today was the day. It wasn’t the smoothest bueraucratic transaction ever...first the dude wanted a photo ID (why? I’m not sure, esp. since I was paying up front for the entire year) and I didn’t have one with me. He let me sign up anyway as long as I promised to bring in my passport tomorrow when I go back. I don’t like the idea of carrying around my passport and leaving it in the locker room, even though I’ll definitely lock it up. If that sucker gets stolen or lost, then the shit’ll hit the fan. Anyway, first obstacle overcome. The second was that you had to pay cash if you wanted to pay for the entire year up front—no bank cards or credit cards accepted. What the heck?!?! So I had to go and withdraw €240 and come back. Slightly annoying. Then the guy tells me that he’s awfully sorry he forgot to tell me, but I also owe another €20 deposit for the magnetic card that gets me through the turnstiles and into the actual gym. So I had to GO BACK to the ATM and make another withdrawl. By this time I’m perturbed. Fortunately for this dude my German isn’t yet to the point where I can be verbally scathing and horrible (when oh when will I ever get to the point where it is??? It could come in extremely handy from time to time!). So I couldn’t really be verbally abusive like I wanted to. That meant that when I finally did successfully complete the sign up process and was allowed through the turnstile and into the gym, I spent an hour on the elliptical trainer, doubling the normal amount of time I’ve been jogging in recent weeks. I think I had some steam to blow off. Then I lifted and really, it was good while I was doing it. I’ll be happy I signed up.

I went to Starbucks yesterday for the first time ever in Austria. I was with another assistant and he suggested it. I went along because I was asked to do a lesson on Starbucks and it’s social responsibility practices (during which I will hopefully dispel the idea that American companies and their rapid globalization will bring about the fall of civilization as the Austrians know it). I figured that I better have a personal Starbucks experience so I could compare it with the Viennese coffeehouses and be able to discuss it with the kids. Results: comfy, cosy, American through and through, but the coffee sucked. I ordered a mocha, which I actually never get in the US. I usually get a White Chocolate Mocha there (for those of you who don’t know my Starbucks tastes), but last time I thought it was too sweet and wanted to try something a bit different. It wasn’t good though--I think they put instant hot chocolate powder or something of the sort in it to make it a “mocha”. Don’t Starbucks’ in the US use liquid chocolates (Scott, help me out on this one bud)? They do for the WCM, I know that for sure. Anyway, it tasted sort of like water with a dash of hot chocolate powder and a very slight hint of coffee. L I’m not sure if I am going to be able to be so positive about Starbucks in this lesson as I thought.