I just bought a combination printer/fax machine/photocopier, and brought it home on the bus. Plus, of course, the four blocks (call that 400 meters if you don't know NY block sizes) from the bus to my building.

It's heavy, of course, as well as awkward. Five years ago, I'd have paid for a car service. Now, I rested every block or so, and was glad to be inside so I could remove extra layers and get some cold water; dressed adequately for a chilly January day is dressed perhaps too warmly for the 400-meter printer-carry.

Now I just have to deal with logistics, namely where to put the perfectly good black-and-white laser printer, if the new device goes where it's now sitting, and whether we have a spare USB cable.

I was thirsty, walked over to the water cooler, and found about five drops of cool water.

I know where the bottles are kept, so I opened the closet door, and lifted one, experimentally.

Yes, I think I can handle this. Bottle on a convenient stack of boxes. Pull the odd plastic cap off, lift the open bottle, and invert it as quickly as possible over the top of the cooler.

A little water landed on the floor, but the procedure was a success.

No big deal, except that the last time I tried this, I got water all over the floor instead. Better analysis of the problem helped--opening the bottle on a table rather than the floor--but mostly I'll take this as evidence that the weight-lifting is accomplishing something beyond letting me think of myself as a weight-lifter. The rewards of exercise are often subtle, but I walked back to my desk with a cup of warm water and a big smile.