plank story – Page 2 – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Plank Story: Electric Scooters

I prefer activities like Pilates, hiking, walking, and running—moves that keep both my feet on the ground. Still, when we were recently in Indianapolis, I was intrigued by the electric scooters escorting people all over the city.

Matt downloaded the scooter app, and we tried to get our first scooter. It beeped and lit up like it was on, but we couldn’t get it to go so we tried another one. It said the battery was dead. A third attempt failed just like the first and we found another with a dead battery. Frustrated, we realized perhaps part of the problem was us and not the scooters. We googled how to operate the scooter. For those that were working, you can’t just get on and press “Go.” You have to get them started under your own power and then press, “Go.”

Our next challenge would be trying to use one app to ride. Matt had downloaded the app. I had not. So he’d start a scooter up for me. I’d get going and then he’d start one for himself and mine would stop. It appears you can’t use one app to ride two […]

Plank Story: Electric ScootersMaggie Downie2018-10-08T18:22:32-04:00

That’s Not A Word

Me & Matt

I’ve been with Matt for nearly 17 years and he never commented on this until today and neither has anyone else I’ve spoken to. I mentioned to him that something stressing me out was giving me “agina.” To which he finally replied, “That’s not a word.”

“Yes, it is,” I insisted.

“Nope, it’s agita.”

After a brief debate we searched for the answer online and the Google Gods proclaimed that agita is in fact a word for heartburn while agina is a word for nothing, unless I mean angina, which I don’t. But I insisted: “Well, that’s not what I mean. I don’t have heartburn. This is giving me agina: an overall feeling of anxiousness. It must be Italian.”

While not true, this seemed a plausible answer as my Italian-American family does use a number of random Italian words. “Moosha moosh” describes when you just don’t feel great. You are still willing to eat, but then you’ll want to lie down. We say “Madone” which is the Italian swearword I know best. […]

That’s Not A WordMaggie Downie2018-08-15T15:05:07-04:00

Plank Story: Do You Fart in Your Sleep?

My younger sister, stepmom, and I were flying to Dallas to visit my brother and sister-in-law and attend a baby shower for the first grandchild in my family. We’d all be sharing a hotel room, so we discussed who would be sharing a bed in a room with two queen mattresses.

Cold at night, even in a Texas climate, my stepmom sleeps in many layers, including a cap. But that doesn’t hinder your fellow sleepers. She admitted to snoring, but a good snore you can hear from either bed.

My little sister basically sleeps like a rock, so she was the general winner in the group—the one everyone would want to sleep with. However, though only I remember this, when we were little we’d sometimes sleep together and she would wake up covered in vomit, which I found repulsive. She claimed she no longer vomited in her sleep and I tend to believe her.

It was determined I was the worst sleeping partner. Sometimes while falling asleep, I twitch which can be off-putting to people. I was told by my best friend on a cross country camping trip that I snuggle. I’m a light […]

Plank Story: Do You Fart in Your Sleep?Maggie Downie2018-05-04T11:15:37-04:00

The Greatest Showman

I love musical theater. Matt, my boyfriend, does not. When we first started dating if we saw a musical together we both had a terrible time. He hated the experience, and I could tell he was miserable which ruined it for me. The third and final time we ever saw people singing together on stage, I realized that each time the actors inhaled to prepare for a note, Matt sighed heavily and audibly, like the last breath escaping a dying man. He was completely unaware that he was perceptibly expressing his disdain for show tunes.

We stopped going to musicals with each other because I love him and wanted our relationship to last. Also, I have other friends to enjoy them with. Then earlier this year—roughly sixteen years since our last musical—we were out for dinner and looked quickly to see if any movies were playing near the restaurant. If we rushed, we could get to The Greatest Showman, a movie about P.T. Barnum. We both like a good history/bio flick so we rushed to the theater and sat just as the movie was starting. Seconds later when the movie opened with […]

The Greatest ShowmanMaggie Downie2018-06-19T11:23:08-04:00

Plank Story: Raising Honeybees or the Yellow Rain Incident of 2017

Each year I learn something new about how not to raise honeybees. This year we have two, new, incredibly healthy hives. They are going strong. It was time to add what’s called a honey super (basically a box to collect honey that gets added to the top of the hive). It’s like the bees getting an addition to their home to fill with honey that we will eventually steal. But the day I had time to do it was over 90-degrees.

I didn’t want to put my bee suit on in 90-degrees. Plus, the little buzzers are always more agitated on hot, sunny days. So I thought I had this brilliant idea to wait until after dark to do the job. It’s should be an easy and quick job. This should be a lesson that I now know for certain. Any time I think a job with the bees will be quick and easy, I should check myself. It never is.

So I waited till dark, got my things together, stepped into my suit and zipped up (or so I thought). The first hive was fine, but the second hive was irked. It […]

Plank Story: Raising Honeybees or the Yellow Rain Incident of 2017Maggie Downie2018-02-14T16:34:27-05:00