Some Buttons Are Best Left Unmashed

{I started to have for the title Some Buttons Are Best Left Unmashed.  But that reminded me of what happened one time to Randy's cousin Teresa.  Years ago she went to the Big City for a meeting in a big hotel, and upon entering the elevator, she asked the person near the control panel to "mash" 5. (Or whatever floor she was visiting.)  She said the person just looked at her and said "Mash??? You want me to MASH #5??, okay I'll MASH #5 for you"   Surely it must have been one of those Yankee-Type People. I think  you'd have to be from way, way up north not to know what "mash" means.  Do those people eat "pressed" potatoes?  I think not.  Mash that button, Mister!!  The lady wants to go to a different floor!  Press it if you will, but we say "mash" down here. I heard that story over 30 years ago, yet every time I get in an elevator, I think of Teresa and how we used to laugh about it.}

Well, you know what?  I'm proud of my southern heritage, and so what if I'm a country bumpkin.... I'm going to change my title back to "unmashed".  So if any of you Yankee-type people are reading, it means... push.  As in, don't mash/push/press that button.

Okay.  So now on to that button that I'm saying shouldn't be mashed.  It's the number 10 button on my mama's treadmill.  For the past two days, I've had a lovely walk about dusk-time, and fully intended to do it again today.  Before I made it out the door in my walking shoes, my dad called with some internet problems.  Far from a computer geek  (very, very far!), sometimes I can get lucky, so I told him I'd be over in a bit. Their house is all out of order due to Mr. Lawrence working his magic with a paint brush, but it was time to get the office up and running again. After the internet project was complete, I spied my mom's treadmill sitting in the middle of the dining room. "This thing work?"  I asked.  "Yep, sure does!"  So I pulled off my flip flops and climbed aboard.  We flipped switches, and mashed buttons, and finally the floor beneath my feet started moving, and I was "walking"!   Four laps around the track would be a mile.  Not so bad.  I was strolling along, every now and then mashing the + button that would increase the speed by .1 mph.  Across the console of the treadmill, there's a series of buttons numbered 2 through 10.  Feeling rather comfortable with my pace, I went to mash the + button again to increase the speed just a little.  I didn't have all night, ya know.  Oops.  The 10 button is right next to the + button.  See where this is going?  Instead of the + button, I mashed the 10 button.  I think 10 means 10 mph, which is quite a bit faster than the 1.8 I had been doing. 

Did you ever watch the closing credits to The Jetsons?  Yep, that's exactly what happened.  From 1.8 to 10 mph in 1 second flat.  It was hilarious.  Thankfully I had my wits enough about me to step off to the side.  But in doing so, I dislodged the little emergency key (in place for such a time as this) and turned it off.  Now all my stats were gone from my first lap.  I think I had burned about 38 calories by that time, but I'm not 100% sure.  I had hoped having the stats would motivate me, but now they were gone. It would have been really sad if we hadn't been laughing so hard. 

I recovered my composure, though, and fired up the machine again, this time at a comfy 2.0 mph and finished out my 1-mile walk. On lap 3 I even + up to 2.6 mph, but for just a short time, then back down to 2.0. It was fabulous!!  That makes three nights in a row that I have walked.  And it feels good.  :-)   Tomorrow night is salsa class again... but I think I've talked myself out of going this week.  Maybe I'll catch it next week.  Lots to do around The 409.  But I promise, if I don't sweat it Latino style, I'll do the walking thing again.  Or an exercise video, or something.  Or maybe go use the treadmill again???  Maybe I'll even get one for myself.  I don't think it would be half bad to do it while watching tv.  I'll hafta think on that a bit.

But you can bet I won't ever mash the 10 button again!