Ah, Friday. There’s something magical about Friday, even if you spend half of Saturday in the gym. I love Fridays…think I always will.

Went to the doctor this morning for my EKG and blood work. Both are required now if you want to fight. If there’s anything that makes you realize that this for real–that in just a month and a half, you’re going to be stepping into the ring, it’s getting your heart and blood tested.

I also asked my doc about the skin reaction I’ve had since the fight camp started. She asked to see my rash, and gasped in shock when she saw my purple thigh instead. “What did you do to your leg?” she cried. I still don’t think she understands what “training for a muay thai kickboxing fight” entails.

Unfortunately, although she gave me an even stronger medication for topical cream than the one I’m currently using, it looks like the irritation is here to stay until fight camp is over. “If you had walked through poison ivy, I could treat the rash, but if you kept walking through the poison ivy, it wouldn’t do much good,” my doctor pointed out. Makes sense. On the advice of my chiropractor/acupuncturist, who has done a fair amount of athletic training himself, I’ve ordered some Under Armour garments to replace my usual cotton and keep my skin dry. Hopefully they help. Have any of you ever had this problem? If so, what helped or didn’t help? And yes, before you ask, I keep my equipment and skin very clean. I’m still wearing sweat-soaked gear for up to three hours at a time. My skin is not happy.

In spite of this, I’m still enjoying the fact that it’s Friday. Here are some things that are making me happy (if not my skin….)

1. Being out of debt is AWESOME! You can’t beat it with a stick.
2. Looking forward to my weekly cheat meal–probably sushi–on Saturday with The Boy.
3. Only two more workouts and I’ve survived another week of fight camp. It should start to feel a little easier now.
4. A lazy Sunday stretches before me…can’t wait.
5. Re-reading a very good, interesting non-fiction book: The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. Rule, an ex-cop, worked at a suicide crisis line in Seattle while researching a book she wanted to write about missing and murdered girls in the area. In an incredible twist of fate, it turned out that the good friend who worked the phone lines beside her was Ted Bundy, the man responsible for the crimes.
6. It’s a beautiful, sunny autumn day.
7. Still haven’t been seriously injured or sick (knock on wood) at fight camp. Somehow, I managed to avoid the horrible cold that’s going around.
8. Gummy vitamins. Genius!
9. My weight is the same as last week’s, but my body fat is down three percent. Feeling good about that.
10. My boss is very understanding about my ridiculously long doctor’s appointments.

How about you, Dear Readers? What are you feeling thankful for or happy about this Friday?