I am someone who often struggles with my own self doubts. Am I good enough? Am I successful? Am I doing the best I can in life? I don't want to say that I get depressed at times, but I do get down on myself for periods that can last minutes or even hours or days. I know that people who are truly depressed constantly fight a battle against themselves. This weekend, I lined up a challenge for myself that until Sunday morning seemed daunting. In all my imperfect moments going forward I can look back at what I accomplished and smile.
I had managed to get most of the week off from work. I wanted time to prepare for Sunday morning, I was able to play my soccer game Friday night, and I was able to spend some time hanging out with my family. I had run a 10 km trial run on Monday and lived to tell of it. Please spend time reading the post I authored after that run if you haven't already. It's here. I ran a slower paced 7 km on Wednesday and that also went well.
On Friday night I suited up in the red and white kit of my mew soccer team "Queensway Auto World" and arrived at the field ready to take on "Eden Spas". I got a fun surprise when a couple of the guys I was going to play with in the recreational league arrived. They were set to play as call ups for our opponent. One of the guys joked about me "ditching them", and assured me that I would pay for my rudeness in the game. All in good fun, Dan is a great soccer player, who could easily play in the league if he wanted to. As expected, he more than held his own against us, providing his team with endless energy in the midfield. I started the game on the bench, as we had a full squad with 4 extras. I came on about 20 minutes in, played striker for a few minutes before shifting back to left wing. Nearing the end of the half our striker had the ball just inside the 18 yard box in the left side. He is shifty and quick, so a second defender moved over to help on him. He quickly moved laterally and fed the ball between the two defenders to me, as my mark had left me to help. I took one touch to control, then blasted a low left footed shot. It skimmed along the turf with an out turn as it headed towards the far side of the net. Having the perfect view, I knew it was in well before it entered the net. The ball clanged off the inside of the goal post and settled into the net. I can't recall the last goal I scored in a soccer game, and the last meaningful soccer goal I scored in a full field soccer game was probably back in high school. (erm, I barely scored any then either, but there must have been at least 1!) I sat again to start the second half but I joined the game about 10 minutes in this time and helped our team hold on to the 1-0 lead. We didn't play great, and neither did Eden Spas. It was an odd game where very little happened. We committed plenty of fouls, but nothing really malicious. As the thoughts I having my goal hold up as the winner were dancing in my head, we conceded a free kick about 30 yards from goal. The ball came in, took a couple of bounces and fell to one of their guys. He hit the ball, it deflected off of a defenders leg and alluded the goalie's diving effort. No chance to save it, and the game was tied. Worst of all, there was 3 minutes left in the game. It took a little shine off of the night, but I still have my goal to remember. I've never played at this level of soccer, so scoring a goal in only my second game of the season was an awesome feeling. I believe there is more to come.
I coached Jasmine's soccer game Saturday afternoon, then planned to take it easy the rest of the day to prepare myself for the next morning. Ian came over and we watched the Bruins and Penguins game. After the game, I threw on a movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" hoping it would interest both the adults and the kids. Meh. It was pretty bad, but Jasmine seemed to like it. My mom, dad and sister all arrived from Quesnel. They were up to watch in the big race in the morning. Sheila had run out to the store and spoiled me with a few protein bars, gatorade drinks and a pedometer that also tracked time and distance. I went to lay down pretty early, hoping to get lots of sleep for the race. I wasn't nervous, but more anxious. I had laid off the junk food for a couple days, chewed a protein bar and had some gatorade. I surfed on the internet, hoping to bore myself to sleep. In the end, it was a fitful night's sleep with only a little rest. I rose at 645 to prepare.
Observations from race day:
-Having a hot shower before running is great. I usually run in the late afternoon when Sheila gets home, but I will have to remember how much energy a shower seems to provide.
-I kept most of my pre-run routine as consistent as possible. I had a half cup of coffee. I ate a few bites of a banana, and bit of a protein bar. Typically, I want to run on an empty or close to empty stomach. I knew that I would need a bit of energy for the race, so I ate a bit. It worked out, I didn't get a stomach cramp, and I had a decent amount of energy.
-My dad drove me down to the track, with the rest of my supporters (it feels good to type that) due to arrive closer to race time. After getting my shoes on, it was nice to walk a few laps with my dad and chat, it took my mind away from the race which was a mere half hour away.
-I had my pedometer, my plan was to use it to run at a steady pace. I was shooting for a time of 50 minutes or 5 minutes per kilometer. I had run at or around that pace throughout most of my training. Without my ipod I thought maybe I would run slower. I was hoping that the competitors ahead of me and my desire to keep up would counteract this.
-I wanted to start the race near the front of the pack. Too close to the back and I would be stuck weaving through people. If I was too close to the front though, having numerous people run by me would probably be demoralising. I just moved onto the track, and people kind of filled in around me. The race organisers counted us down, and we were off.
-We circled half of the track, then left the stadium to begin running the roads of Prince George. I quickly realised that my pedometer had reset, and was currently counting miles and not kilometers. Not a big deal, I still had a timer, but I would now rely on feel and instinct to pace myself.
-One lady ran past me as we left the stadium, and I would soon realise how much I didn't want this to happen during the race. I started up the hill on Massey drive, and soon had someone breathing down my neck. A lady passed me as we neared the top of the hill, but only for a few seconds. As we crested the hill I lengthened my stride and passed her back. I slowly moved away from her and for the next 3 or so kilometers I ran completely by myself. The nearest person ahead of me was probably 200 meters, and while I wasn't looking back often, I could see when I went around corners that I had a comfortable gap behind me as well. I didn't expect this. I thought it would be a tighter race, but with 122 runners of all shapes and sizes, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
-The caterpillars were out in full force to cheer us on, happily being squished underfoot as they were impossible to avoid completely.
-I'm used to running without any drinks on the road. It was nice to have 3 different drink stations along the course.
-Something that is quickly becoming "my thing" while I run, I said hello or thank you to every single person that was out on the course. There were a handful of spectators, and most of them shouted words of encouragement, or clapped. Every one of them got a "thank you" or "good morning" from me. The volunteers at the drink stations and the crosswalks who made the race possible also got "thank you" from me. It was fun and inspiring at the same time.
-While the support of strangers was nice, it was even more inspiring to have my family there to support me. About 3 km into the race as I gradually gained ground on the woman in front me we came up on one of the local schools. I noticed 3 people sitting in chairs in the parking lot, and I realised as I got closer it was Sheila and my mom and dad. They stood and cheered, I waved and hollered back at them, then got back to racing. Jasmine and Asher both hollered at me from the playground. I looked over to see Jasmine waving from the top of the jungle gym. I would see them again shortly as they jumped in their vehicles and drove by me. My sister Paulette, and Jasmine and Asher were all hollering out the windows as they drove by, with the horns going as well. We covered a few kilometers of Ospika, and I managed to get past the lady I was chasing, before setting my sights on the next runner. He was a good few hundred meters ahead, but he seemed to be slowing somewhat. We ran a short hill as we approached Massey once more, and after we crested I decided to pick up the speed considerably to get by. That might have been the most enjoyable part of the race, passing someone while giving everything I had. We rounded the corner onto 18th, and my family drove past once more, hollering and making a commotion. They stopped up ahead, snapping photos, and my Dad successfully passed me a drink. I got one more drive by as I left the CNC parking lot, and Paulette famously shouted: "GOOOOOO Matt!! You're in first place!!!!" She couldn't see anyone in front of me, and there wasn't anyone. I had a laugh and kept going.
-As I turned onto Westwood for the home stretch I looked at my timer for the first time since the first kilometer. I had run for 40 minutes. I wasn't sure how close to the finish line I was, but I had a feeling that I was running a fast race. I approached Massey and turned the corner towards the stadium. The runners from the 5 km race were coming in from a different direction, but we would all run back down Massey together. A sign was placed near the corner telling us we had 1 km to go. I knew I was running a fast time, and I felt like I had some gas left in the tank. There was a downhill portion, and I relaxed my body, allowing myself to lengthen my stride. I passed at least a dozen runners down the hill, picked the pace up a little more as we approached the track. I entered the track, and decided to leave it all out there. I sprinted the last 250 meters, passing another 5 or 6 runners. I even got a reaction from the race m.c. who couldn't help but notice this crazy man galloping across the line. As it turned out, this isn't normal and I was literally the only person who did a flat out sprint across the line. I felt great. I checked my time and I knew I had clocked in at less than 47 minutes! Sheila and Asher approached, and I got a huge hug from my son. What a feeling!
-I found out a short time later that my official time was 46 minutes and 28 seconds. I had finished 14th out of 122 runners. The 13 people who finished ahead of me were "runners". Most of them were seasoned veterans. I'm more than happy that I could be that competitive when I have only run that distance twice before in my life.
-They handed out medals to the top 3 finishers in each category. I was in the 19-49 year old male category, and I finished a respectable 6th of 22. I was 6 minutes off of the third place time, to which Sheila remarked, "well, it's only 6 minutes. I'm sure you could do that." Very supportive, but a lofty goal no doubt.
-While my time is a great accomplishment, the thing I am most proud of, is that other than 1 lady passing me in the first 200 meters, not a single person passed me during the 10 km race. At the crest of Massey when a different lady passed me for a few seconds, I set that as a goal. No one was going to overtake me as I ran. I kept my pace up and didn't feel like I had too many lulls in the race at all. Other than that brief moment, no one else came close to passing me. Proof that I can run this distance regularly, without suffering.
-Other than some pain in my left shin, which was present before the race, I feel fine today. This makes me think I didn't over do it, and maybe I am capable of doing even better.
-My mom asked me if I got the bug, and honestly, I don't know. The competitor in me wants to do this more often. And I will do it again. In fact, I plan to pull an even more ambitious double in less than 2 weeks. This time was soccer Friday night followed by a 10 km run on Sunday morning. June 14th I play soccer again, followed by a 10 km trail race the morning of June 15th. Why not keep the challenges coming?
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Monday, 3 June 2013
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
The Running Man or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love to Pain
I had laid out the yellow brick road to success 8 weeks ago. I would run three times every week, gradually increasing the distance until I was more than comfortable tackling the 10 kilometers I was to cover come race day. As we all know, the best laid plans are usually just that. I have other commitments in my life and I also battle against laziness on occasion. The latter has been overcome for the most part as I make a concerted effort to get in shape. Well, with less than a month to go until race day, I fell off the proverbial wagon. I went a total of 12 days between runs, and quite frankly I was beginning to have doubts creep in. I wasn't entirely stagnant. I still went to the pool a number of times, walked with the kids a few times, played basketball once, and lifted weights 3 or 4 times every week like I usually do. But, it's no secret that long distance running requires something different than casual exercise or weight lifting does. For me, it's more about mental fitness and strength. These two things can overcome other obstacles if they are strong enough. My slump of inactivity ended last Wednesday when I had my first soccer game with my new team "Queensway Auto World". I had a blast chasing around the pitch, getting a good run in a game for the first time in 18 months. As I relaxed with a beer after the game, gaining some positive feedback from my new mates I told myself I had nothing to worry about. I had plenty of time to get my act together and prepare to race on Sunday June 2nd.
On Wednesday night I mapped out the next 11 days in my mind. I knew I would be in rough shape Thursday after walking 5 km then playing in the evening. The pace of the game was intense. These guys were all over 30 but that didn't mean much once the game got going. There was hardly a gut in sight, with both teams full of fit guys who didn't stop running. I held my own, playing about two thirds of the game. I had a handful of decent runs, including a few that I got hit on, and sent a few solid crosses in. I was particularly proud of a ball I sent hard across the middle of the pitch while we were transitioning to offense. It wasn't something either team expected, as I sent the ball 30 yards along the ground into the path of my opposite winger who was dashing up the field. He ended up playing a give and go with one of the strikers, getting the ball back in the corner and sending it into the box. Our striker and I had both made the run, and the ball was played so either of us could have got there. The goalie was unsure of who to play, and the ball ended up falling to our striker who side footed into the onion bag. We beat the defending league champions 5-2 and all the boys were pretty excited about the 4 new guys. Our next game is Friday night, and my family should be in attendance. I am excited to show them what I can do.
So Wednesday was soccer, and that night I decided that I would get my first run in on Saturday morning. Jasmine's soccer was at noon, so I figured I could go for a nice casual run before that. I decided to keep it short, and I didn't turn the stopwatch on, wanting to just get through it. The weather was nice, and it was a pretty solid effort. Easing back into had been successful, but as soon as I got back to the house, my thoughts turned to Monday. I told myself I had to complete the full distance at least once before race day, and not wanting to do it too close to the real thing, I had chosen Monday. The mind started racing early Monday morning.
I woke up for my morning shift having fallen asleep early Sunday evening. I was fully rested for a Monday shift, something that happens very rarely. As it turned out, I would need all the energy I could muster. I work with special needs adults, and usually I have pretty relaxing job. I help the guys to accomplish daily life tasks that most would find routine. I do chores around their home as a housekeeper would. For the most part the guys are relaxed, down to earth people who don't need me to tell them how to behave. On occasion my patience is tested, and like anyone else, a bad day occurs. I was frazzled, plain and simple. For confidentiality reasons, I won't get into any of it. I thought it interesting, that the day that I planned to run further than I had in 6 years, one of the guys would have a miserable day. When someone can't speak, or communicate in any way really, you find yourself at a loss as to how to help. There were a few things to try, but I was unsuccessful. I made a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. This was the only time during the shift when we were all able to relax. I made sure to have a relatively healthy day with my food as I knew the run was coming. Lunch consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of mushroom soup. I skipped the traditional cookie after the meal. I made it to 230, and got home with Asher about 3. I still had more than 3 hours to go before Sheila would arrive home, and I would be able to go. I checked out my fantasy baseball teams some more. I brewed some coffee. I took a shower to "wake me up". I felt lethargic, and really felt like there was no way I would actually complete the run. Around 5 I started making dinner. I was planning to have dinner ready for the time Sheila came home. She and the kids could eat, and I would go running. I baked the squash, sauteed the other vegetables, and it was ready to eat when Sheila arrived. I already had my shorts and shirt on. I greeted Sheila, and I stepped out the door. I didn't want to be tempted to eat, as this would make it impossible to run. I grabbed an energy bar on the way out to tide me over.
Random Observations From My Run:
-A few times during my run I remembered that come Sunday I would have no ipod as they are banned for insurance reasons. I never run without an ipod, and I am a little worried that this may effect my performance. Hopefully, the desire to chase down other runners and finish with a solid time will over come this.
-I have been quite happy with my newish lightweight running shoes. Unfortunately, the last few times I have put them on, they have felt uncomfortably tight. Even weirder, is that only the left shoe is noticeably uncomfortable. If I tie the shoes while sitting down, I end up tightening them to much. In the end, I tied and retied my shoes about 8 times yesterday before I finally just left them. It was a subconscious stalling tactic most likely, one more obstacle to overcome.
-I always have a smoke before I run. Judge me if you like, but I feel like cannabis enhances my mental strength, and it takes little away from me physically. When you have the amount of time inside your own head that a long run provides, all sorts fo mental hurdles can pop into that space.
-Something quite exciting took place during my run, that I shared with Sheila immediately after. I passed approximately 12 people or couples out walking on my route. Oddly, there was a number of women, by themselves, all of them with two dogs each. It seems no one has just one dog anymore. Every time I ran by, I said a big hello, and as I was having a great time, flashed a big smile that rarely left my face throughout the run. Every single time I got a greeting in return. When I passed a woman and her dogs for the second time, we said hello and laughed a little. Even as I finished the tenth kilometer, I said hello to a couple of girls and got a big one back. This really does pick up the mood while I run, I'm not entirely sure why. Sheila was impressed that not only could I still talk at the end of the run, I wasn't breathing heavily. Jasmine thought I wasn't sweating either, but as she came closer she could see that Dad was indeed glistening, having just burnt approximately 800 calories.
-Breathing techniques. It was something I wanted to work on before the big day. I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to running, and I breath with an open gaping mouth. I've heard that breathing through your nose is better, but I have never heard why exactly. I believe it keeps your breathing more relaxed, and it obviously stops you from gasping for air. I have tried at times to breath through my nose while mid-run, and it does work. The added bonus is that I have to focus my thoughts on each breath, taking my mind away from other issues such as leg pains, cramps or whatever else I might be thinking about. I didn't nose breathe once during my run yesterday, but I hope to use the technique at times on Sunday to relax and refocus.
-Short underwear is a bad idea when one is running ten kilometers. Chafing. That is all.
-Caterpillars are harmless, but pretty revolting. I spent time looking ahead during my run, paying attention to which trees would have hanging critters, and crossing streets when possible to avoid the worst ones. Of course, I only started doing this after I ran through a battlefield while rounding a corner. I didn't have a chance to see the tree in advance, and managed to get clobbered pretty good. I could feel a silky thread hanging off my arm the rest of the way. Funny thing was, in the middle of the night, while Sheila tried to get Asher back to sleep, he pointed out a caterpillar that had found a home in our bed. Sheila grabbed it a tossed it in the bathroom sink, and flushed it away with a little water. For you humanitarians out there, please don't fret about a dead caterpillar, there must be about 50 million of them in Prince George alone right now. One nice thing about having only evergreens in the yard. I heard the caterpillar story in the morning, when I asked Sheila about the still living caterpillar in the sink. Turns out the flush had missed him in the early morning and he had survived.
-I don't usually deal with a lot of soreness in my legs or feet while running. Yesterday was a different story. I had to rely on all of my mental toughness to ignore pains that at times were in my quads, my hamstrings, my calves (shin splints), my arches, and a new one, my ankles. When I was nearing the end of the run, the pains had all run their course, and I was feeling the best I had the whole run. Perhaps I could run further?
-An odd happening that I have been acutely aware of this spring is that I don't seem to have a go to style for swinging my arms. I feel like I could be doing more with my arms to build momentum. The range over which they travel is quite short. My hands always feel very awkward. Do I run with them in tight fists? Open and loose? Sometimes, I point my one finger out and extended my thumb as if I was indicating "this guy". Just another of the odd things to enter my brain while slapping the pavement.
-It is very cool to be able to check one's running posture while out on the road. If the sun is parallel to you, and you have a fence or pavement on the other side, you can see your shadow clearly. I like to check my posture this way, and it often amuses me. I run in a very straight up posture, at times it even looks like I am leaning back. I look like I am very relaxed in this stance. It makes me feel like I could put out more effort. I then remind myself that putting out as little excess energy as possible is the ideal, and likely my running style is a benefit to me. I covered 10,000 meters on my run yesterday. If I was going to say a stride is 1 meter ( I really have no clue) that means I put in 10,000 paces. Let's not mess with the posture at this point.
-I didn't let myself check my watch until I was nearing the end of the first lap. I had checked my posture a few kilometers earlier, and I was expecting to see that my pace was a little slower than it had been the last time I ran the 7 km loop. I have been just off a 5 minute pace per km all spring. Whether I run 3 km, 5 km, 7 km my pace stays pretty steady. I was happy to see that my casual posture had not led to a slower time. I was going to complete the 7 km in just over 35 minutes.
-I set my route intentionally so that I would have a few obstacles to deal with. The route is flat for the first 1.5 km, but then has a decent sized upslope. 6 or 7% grade, followed by a long 2 or 3 % grade. You are climbing for probably 500 meters. I like that this battle is early in the run, and once I complete it, I feel like the tough part is already over. I knew yesterday that the real battle would be later on. I don't have a 10 km route mapped out online, but I do have a 7 km route and a 3 km route. This means that in order to complete the full distance, I would have to pass by my house, and continue on. Remember, 7 km is the furthest I have run previously. I had a number of voices in my head telling me that it would be okay to quit. Inspired by the time I had just seen on my watch, I picked the pace up slightly and powered past the house to complete the second, shorter loop. I would be running on some of the same roads I had already gone down, and I would have no more hills to tackle.
-As I started the second loop I found myself asking the ultimate question. Do I feel any different then I did when I ran down this street the first time? I actually felt better. While obviously a little fatigued, the pain that had started almost immediately upon beginning had subsided. I laughed in my head at the thought. How many people would believe that one? No, no. Really. If you run 7 km, then continue to run, you will actually feel better than you did when you started. Yeah right, funny man.
- I rounded our corner to complete the crescent and reach home. I even managed to pick up the pace for a short end of run sprint. I checked the watch, happy enough to see that my pace had hardly fallen off. I punched the button on the ipod at 51 minutes and 22 seconds. As I sat down outside to rest for a second, the impact of my accomplishment hit me. Not only was I going to be just fine on Sunday, I am going to compete. Let's not get carried away. I won't be chesting the ribbon at the finish line. If I run the same time on Sunday, I will be competitive. If I use last year's race results as a gauge, my time would have put me in 15th out of 30 runners in the 19-49 men's division. It would have put me at 35th out of 135 runners overall for the distance. I would be more than pleased if I could come close to the 50 minute threshold, and with the competitive juices flowing, I don't see this as unrealistic.
-I felt weird last night after completing my run. I got greeted by Asher like I always do when I come through the door. Whether I have been out for an hour or a few days, he always hollers: "Daddy back!!" He then sprints to the door to bear hug me. I will never grow tired of this. I sat in bed and ate dinner. Asher and I laid down together and watched wrestling. He moved away from me and promptly fell asleep, propped up against a bunch of pillows. I went to the kitchen, mixed up some juice and proceed to go downstairs and work out. With the adrenaline going from the run, I lifted heavier than normal during my chest workout. Sheila and Jasmine had gone out the swimming pool and then the grocery store. They came home, and Sheila and I watched a movie together. Robin Williams made an obscure film a few years ago called "World's Greatest Dad", and we put it on. I had heard of it for the first time yesterday, quite surprised that Robin Williams made a movie with so little fanfare. As is usual for Sheila and I we didn't finish it, but the hour that we did see was great. I am excited to finish it tonight.
I have a busy week ahead of me, in terms of preparing myself for Sunday. Tonight, Jasmine has soccer. Tomorrow Asher and I have Strong Start, and we are going to the park. Believe me, this might be the most strenuous thing I do all week. He ran non-stop at this very same park on Saturday afternoon. I chased him for an hour, then went to work. I was spent. Wednesday we swim after school. I have a 7 km run planned for that day as well. Thursday I coach Jasmine's soccer again, as a practice is scheduled. Friday night I have soccer at 630. I was hoping to take it easy for a couple of days before the race, but soccer isn't cooperating. I am none to upset about this. I'll take it easy Saturday, or at least try to. Then it will be race day. Wish me luck!
On Wednesday night I mapped out the next 11 days in my mind. I knew I would be in rough shape Thursday after walking 5 km then playing in the evening. The pace of the game was intense. These guys were all over 30 but that didn't mean much once the game got going. There was hardly a gut in sight, with both teams full of fit guys who didn't stop running. I held my own, playing about two thirds of the game. I had a handful of decent runs, including a few that I got hit on, and sent a few solid crosses in. I was particularly proud of a ball I sent hard across the middle of the pitch while we were transitioning to offense. It wasn't something either team expected, as I sent the ball 30 yards along the ground into the path of my opposite winger who was dashing up the field. He ended up playing a give and go with one of the strikers, getting the ball back in the corner and sending it into the box. Our striker and I had both made the run, and the ball was played so either of us could have got there. The goalie was unsure of who to play, and the ball ended up falling to our striker who side footed into the onion bag. We beat the defending league champions 5-2 and all the boys were pretty excited about the 4 new guys. Our next game is Friday night, and my family should be in attendance. I am excited to show them what I can do.
So Wednesday was soccer, and that night I decided that I would get my first run in on Saturday morning. Jasmine's soccer was at noon, so I figured I could go for a nice casual run before that. I decided to keep it short, and I didn't turn the stopwatch on, wanting to just get through it. The weather was nice, and it was a pretty solid effort. Easing back into had been successful, but as soon as I got back to the house, my thoughts turned to Monday. I told myself I had to complete the full distance at least once before race day, and not wanting to do it too close to the real thing, I had chosen Monday. The mind started racing early Monday morning.
I woke up for my morning shift having fallen asleep early Sunday evening. I was fully rested for a Monday shift, something that happens very rarely. As it turned out, I would need all the energy I could muster. I work with special needs adults, and usually I have pretty relaxing job. I help the guys to accomplish daily life tasks that most would find routine. I do chores around their home as a housekeeper would. For the most part the guys are relaxed, down to earth people who don't need me to tell them how to behave. On occasion my patience is tested, and like anyone else, a bad day occurs. I was frazzled, plain and simple. For confidentiality reasons, I won't get into any of it. I thought it interesting, that the day that I planned to run further than I had in 6 years, one of the guys would have a miserable day. When someone can't speak, or communicate in any way really, you find yourself at a loss as to how to help. There were a few things to try, but I was unsuccessful. I made a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee. This was the only time during the shift when we were all able to relax. I made sure to have a relatively healthy day with my food as I knew the run was coming. Lunch consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of mushroom soup. I skipped the traditional cookie after the meal. I made it to 230, and got home with Asher about 3. I still had more than 3 hours to go before Sheila would arrive home, and I would be able to go. I checked out my fantasy baseball teams some more. I brewed some coffee. I took a shower to "wake me up". I felt lethargic, and really felt like there was no way I would actually complete the run. Around 5 I started making dinner. I was planning to have dinner ready for the time Sheila came home. She and the kids could eat, and I would go running. I baked the squash, sauteed the other vegetables, and it was ready to eat when Sheila arrived. I already had my shorts and shirt on. I greeted Sheila, and I stepped out the door. I didn't want to be tempted to eat, as this would make it impossible to run. I grabbed an energy bar on the way out to tide me over.
Random Observations From My Run:
-A few times during my run I remembered that come Sunday I would have no ipod as they are banned for insurance reasons. I never run without an ipod, and I am a little worried that this may effect my performance. Hopefully, the desire to chase down other runners and finish with a solid time will over come this.
-I have been quite happy with my newish lightweight running shoes. Unfortunately, the last few times I have put them on, they have felt uncomfortably tight. Even weirder, is that only the left shoe is noticeably uncomfortable. If I tie the shoes while sitting down, I end up tightening them to much. In the end, I tied and retied my shoes about 8 times yesterday before I finally just left them. It was a subconscious stalling tactic most likely, one more obstacle to overcome.
-I always have a smoke before I run. Judge me if you like, but I feel like cannabis enhances my mental strength, and it takes little away from me physically. When you have the amount of time inside your own head that a long run provides, all sorts fo mental hurdles can pop into that space.
-Something quite exciting took place during my run, that I shared with Sheila immediately after. I passed approximately 12 people or couples out walking on my route. Oddly, there was a number of women, by themselves, all of them with two dogs each. It seems no one has just one dog anymore. Every time I ran by, I said a big hello, and as I was having a great time, flashed a big smile that rarely left my face throughout the run. Every single time I got a greeting in return. When I passed a woman and her dogs for the second time, we said hello and laughed a little. Even as I finished the tenth kilometer, I said hello to a couple of girls and got a big one back. This really does pick up the mood while I run, I'm not entirely sure why. Sheila was impressed that not only could I still talk at the end of the run, I wasn't breathing heavily. Jasmine thought I wasn't sweating either, but as she came closer she could see that Dad was indeed glistening, having just burnt approximately 800 calories.
-Breathing techniques. It was something I wanted to work on before the big day. I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to running, and I breath with an open gaping mouth. I've heard that breathing through your nose is better, but I have never heard why exactly. I believe it keeps your breathing more relaxed, and it obviously stops you from gasping for air. I have tried at times to breath through my nose while mid-run, and it does work. The added bonus is that I have to focus my thoughts on each breath, taking my mind away from other issues such as leg pains, cramps or whatever else I might be thinking about. I didn't nose breathe once during my run yesterday, but I hope to use the technique at times on Sunday to relax and refocus.
-Short underwear is a bad idea when one is running ten kilometers. Chafing. That is all.
-Caterpillars are harmless, but pretty revolting. I spent time looking ahead during my run, paying attention to which trees would have hanging critters, and crossing streets when possible to avoid the worst ones. Of course, I only started doing this after I ran through a battlefield while rounding a corner. I didn't have a chance to see the tree in advance, and managed to get clobbered pretty good. I could feel a silky thread hanging off my arm the rest of the way. Funny thing was, in the middle of the night, while Sheila tried to get Asher back to sleep, he pointed out a caterpillar that had found a home in our bed. Sheila grabbed it a tossed it in the bathroom sink, and flushed it away with a little water. For you humanitarians out there, please don't fret about a dead caterpillar, there must be about 50 million of them in Prince George alone right now. One nice thing about having only evergreens in the yard. I heard the caterpillar story in the morning, when I asked Sheila about the still living caterpillar in the sink. Turns out the flush had missed him in the early morning and he had survived.
-I don't usually deal with a lot of soreness in my legs or feet while running. Yesterday was a different story. I had to rely on all of my mental toughness to ignore pains that at times were in my quads, my hamstrings, my calves (shin splints), my arches, and a new one, my ankles. When I was nearing the end of the run, the pains had all run their course, and I was feeling the best I had the whole run. Perhaps I could run further?
-An odd happening that I have been acutely aware of this spring is that I don't seem to have a go to style for swinging my arms. I feel like I could be doing more with my arms to build momentum. The range over which they travel is quite short. My hands always feel very awkward. Do I run with them in tight fists? Open and loose? Sometimes, I point my one finger out and extended my thumb as if I was indicating "this guy". Just another of the odd things to enter my brain while slapping the pavement.
-It is very cool to be able to check one's running posture while out on the road. If the sun is parallel to you, and you have a fence or pavement on the other side, you can see your shadow clearly. I like to check my posture this way, and it often amuses me. I run in a very straight up posture, at times it even looks like I am leaning back. I look like I am very relaxed in this stance. It makes me feel like I could put out more effort. I then remind myself that putting out as little excess energy as possible is the ideal, and likely my running style is a benefit to me. I covered 10,000 meters on my run yesterday. If I was going to say a stride is 1 meter ( I really have no clue) that means I put in 10,000 paces. Let's not mess with the posture at this point.
-I didn't let myself check my watch until I was nearing the end of the first lap. I had checked my posture a few kilometers earlier, and I was expecting to see that my pace was a little slower than it had been the last time I ran the 7 km loop. I have been just off a 5 minute pace per km all spring. Whether I run 3 km, 5 km, 7 km my pace stays pretty steady. I was happy to see that my casual posture had not led to a slower time. I was going to complete the 7 km in just over 35 minutes.
-I set my route intentionally so that I would have a few obstacles to deal with. The route is flat for the first 1.5 km, but then has a decent sized upslope. 6 or 7% grade, followed by a long 2 or 3 % grade. You are climbing for probably 500 meters. I like that this battle is early in the run, and once I complete it, I feel like the tough part is already over. I knew yesterday that the real battle would be later on. I don't have a 10 km route mapped out online, but I do have a 7 km route and a 3 km route. This means that in order to complete the full distance, I would have to pass by my house, and continue on. Remember, 7 km is the furthest I have run previously. I had a number of voices in my head telling me that it would be okay to quit. Inspired by the time I had just seen on my watch, I picked the pace up slightly and powered past the house to complete the second, shorter loop. I would be running on some of the same roads I had already gone down, and I would have no more hills to tackle.
-As I started the second loop I found myself asking the ultimate question. Do I feel any different then I did when I ran down this street the first time? I actually felt better. While obviously a little fatigued, the pain that had started almost immediately upon beginning had subsided. I laughed in my head at the thought. How many people would believe that one? No, no. Really. If you run 7 km, then continue to run, you will actually feel better than you did when you started. Yeah right, funny man.
- I rounded our corner to complete the crescent and reach home. I even managed to pick up the pace for a short end of run sprint. I checked the watch, happy enough to see that my pace had hardly fallen off. I punched the button on the ipod at 51 minutes and 22 seconds. As I sat down outside to rest for a second, the impact of my accomplishment hit me. Not only was I going to be just fine on Sunday, I am going to compete. Let's not get carried away. I won't be chesting the ribbon at the finish line. If I run the same time on Sunday, I will be competitive. If I use last year's race results as a gauge, my time would have put me in 15th out of 30 runners in the 19-49 men's division. It would have put me at 35th out of 135 runners overall for the distance. I would be more than pleased if I could come close to the 50 minute threshold, and with the competitive juices flowing, I don't see this as unrealistic.
-I felt weird last night after completing my run. I got greeted by Asher like I always do when I come through the door. Whether I have been out for an hour or a few days, he always hollers: "Daddy back!!" He then sprints to the door to bear hug me. I will never grow tired of this. I sat in bed and ate dinner. Asher and I laid down together and watched wrestling. He moved away from me and promptly fell asleep, propped up against a bunch of pillows. I went to the kitchen, mixed up some juice and proceed to go downstairs and work out. With the adrenaline going from the run, I lifted heavier than normal during my chest workout. Sheila and Jasmine had gone out the swimming pool and then the grocery store. They came home, and Sheila and I watched a movie together. Robin Williams made an obscure film a few years ago called "World's Greatest Dad", and we put it on. I had heard of it for the first time yesterday, quite surprised that Robin Williams made a movie with so little fanfare. As is usual for Sheila and I we didn't finish it, but the hour that we did see was great. I am excited to finish it tonight.
I have a busy week ahead of me, in terms of preparing myself for Sunday. Tonight, Jasmine has soccer. Tomorrow Asher and I have Strong Start, and we are going to the park. Believe me, this might be the most strenuous thing I do all week. He ran non-stop at this very same park on Saturday afternoon. I chased him for an hour, then went to work. I was spent. Wednesday we swim after school. I have a 7 km run planned for that day as well. Thursday I coach Jasmine's soccer again, as a practice is scheduled. Friday night I have soccer at 630. I was hoping to take it easy for a couple of days before the race, but soccer isn't cooperating. I am none to upset about this. I'll take it easy Saturday, or at least try to. Then it will be race day. Wish me luck!
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Life Ain't So Bad
As I sit here at the computer on this fine Sunday morning, I am deep in contemplative thought. The sun is shining brightly through the window, something I just became aware of when I pulled the string to raise the blinds. The weather man couldn't decide what today was going to be like ahead of time, waffling between sun and cloud like a toothless old woman trying to chose which of her cats she prefers. It looks nice right now, and if the weather holds for another 8 hours, Jasmine, Sheila, Asher and I will probably spend time this afternoon beautifying our yard.
Our home is quite modest, and I am not one for going overboard with yard upkeep, but I do feel a certain level of pride when it comes to the appearance of our place. In the front yard we have a small garden plot, with a lilac bush in one portion of it. We will pull the weeds, rake the leaves out and plant a few new flowers in hopes that they survive the season. Sheila loves lilacs, they were her dearly departed mother's favourite flower, so in honour of her mom, Jasmine and I planted a second lilac bush in the front yard, near the road. We made a tiny circular garden space around it, and once again this year, we will add a few annuals to this little space. The flowers were safe from the Asher man last year, but he is another year older, and somewhat more destructive. He is smart little 2 year old, so I am hoping that an explanation from Dad will stop him from pulling heads off of flowers, or squashing the plants flat. We will have to see. We also have a small plot of gardening space in the backyard. Unfortunately, its located near the high wooden fence, and is partially blocked by a tall evergreen tree so we had limited success with the vegetables last year. With a bit more forethought, and a bit more attention from Jasmine and I, maybe we can see some better results. Ever year I get a little excited about gardening, though I wouldn't call myself an avid gardener. It's kind of fun to see if you have what it takes to grow a successful garden. As it is, we are about 0 for 5, but we will give it a go again this year.
The title of today's post is in reference to this past Tuesday's Provincial Election. The line above is one of a few different coping mechanisms I have been falling back on after the election resulted in a less than desirable outcome for myself. It truly is a bizzare feeling to support a party that was ahead in the opinion polls for 2 full years prior to the election, not once in that entire time were they behind, then have them fall soundly come election day. I was nervous coming into election day for a few reasons, and most of all, it's the power of the older crowd. Old people get out and do things when they matter to them. And when it comes right down to it, if you have the support of senior citizens, you can count on that support in the same way you can count on death and taxes. I am disappointed in the outcome of the election, I am disappointed in the younger crowd who simply didn't turn out at the polls, and most of all I am disappointed with the state of the political world as a whole. I have lived in Prince George for more than 10 years now where the municipal government, the provincial government and most certainly the federal government all lean heavily to the right of centre. I didn't cast a ballot for any of the people currently serving as my representative, save for 1 or 2 city councillors. What I see as a significant silver lining though, is that despite the fact that I don't care for the political ideals of these people who represent me, I am lucky enough to live in one of the best countries in the world. A country where even the politicians who represent the "right" are reasonably progressive. I am not going to get carried away, the federal Conservatives are far from proactive, but due to the culture of Canada, they are forced to move away from their most extreme ideals towards a more acceptable right of centre stance. Canada's version of right is actually left in many places in the world. We are so very lucky here in Canada to have the freedoms that we do have, so for me, despite the disappointment I felt earlier this week, I am just happy to have been born in a place and time where I am free to do or say almost anything. Will the Liberal Party do and say things that I don't agree with? Sure. Will they put economics ahead of people? Sure. But, I believe that while misguided, their intention is to do good. To improve the province that we live in. Time will tell, and if their track record is indicative, I will likely by let down, but even a let down in British Columbia is better than most places in the world.
Earlier this week, I finalized my plans for the summer in regards to sports and fitness. I had signed up for summer hockey a few weeks ago, then last week I committed to playing recreational soccer. I didn't play soccer last summer because it conflicted with Jasmine's soccer schedule. I also had written off playing in the open league due to frequence of weekend games that conflict with my work schedule. Saturday, as I haphazardly coached the opening game of Jasmine's soccer season, a friend of mine approached. His daughter is on our team, and I have been a soccer teammate of his in the past. I had asked him to help me out and coach the team for the next game while I was busy. Instead of asking about his coaching gig, he isntead inquired about my interest in playing with his soccer team. My reflex reaction was negative, as I knew the obstacle of scheduling would make things difficult. Also, I knew he was playing in the "30+" division, and I am stubbornly holding onto my twenties card, at least until my birthday in October. I asked my friend about the age thing, and he thought it was okay, as I will be 30 this year. We decided to wait and see, pending the schedule. It was released the next day, and it a happy twist of fate, many of the games fall on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, and I can play most of them. I was officially drafted last Wednesday and the first game is in 3 days. I have abandoned a few buddies who are set to play in the recreational league, but the chance to play a higher level of soccer is one I want to take. I didn't play soccer at all last year, and spent the season before in the recreational league. Prior to that I played 2 seasons on a very weak division 2 team. Needless to say, it is likely that my new team will be the best team I have been a part of in a long time. My friend is the reigning "Top Defender" in the league, and he is the only member of my new team that knows my game. On his word, the team signed me up. It adds a little pressure, and I am admitedly a little nervous going to the first game. My love of fitness and exercise is continuing to grow and one of the fun things that comes with it is my ability to challenge myself. I look at this as one of those opportunities to put myself out there and go for it.
I spent some time the other day figuring out which days I could book off that would allow me to have a few extra free days with Sheila and the kids. The residual effect of this is that it frees me up to play a few more soccer games that fall on weekends, and it also opened me up to add another running race to my plans. As we stand, I am going to run 5 races this season, starting in 2 weeks when I run the YMCA Road Race. Adding soccer to my summer plans, to go along with the running races and the hockey games will lead to a few interesting tests of my stamina and fitness. One such situation falls of the weekend of June 14th and 15th. I have booked the days off, and will play soccer on the Friday night at 630. The next morning at 10, I plan to participate in the "Beat the Bugs" 10 km trail run. I really like to challenge myself, but this will likely be my biggest test yet. I'll let you know if I survive, a discontinued blog and you can draw your own conclusions.
My rekindled love of sports has shown up in Asher in spades. His favorite things are his "truckies", his potato heads, and his growing collection of sports gear. He has his set of plastic mini "gicks" and his mini hockey nets. He has a handful of hockey balls, hockey pucks, 3 or 4 "buuballs", a couple "gocker" balls, a "baaball" glove and bat to go with the balls themselves, and it goes on from there. On Thursday morning after we had roused ourselves from bed we went outside to go for a walk. Asher found his glove and ball, and we got distracted. Asher handed me the bat, and before long we were all set. Asher was the pitcher, and yes, he can throw. Standing about 15 feet away from me, he was able to throw a hittable pitch time and time again. I crouched down to his size so that he didn't have to throw it high, but nonetheless I was blown away by his accuracy. When I hit the ball, I would run across the yard to the fence, and he was able to figure out the idea of tagging me out. He would laugh hysterically as he chased after me, and when he caught me he even threw in the "you're out!" for effect. I snapped a couple of pics of the little guy and his gear, then when I attempted a video, hilarity insued. I wanted to show off to Sheila just how good he can toss the ball and I start to record. I provide commentary, then realize that Asher won't have me crouching down as a hitter to provide a target. I say "throw a pitch", while standing safely off to the side with the record button down. He winds up to throw straight ahead of him, but I had obviously caused some confusion. The throw came straight at me with perfect accuracy. I jumped out of the way while hollering, shocked that it was so perfectly thrown. I will have to rethink my videography plan before attempting it again.
We went for our walk, but not without the glove and ball that he wore the whole time. Our destination was the park at Jasmine's school where we stopped to play basketball. Asher wore his glove, and he tossed the ball at me while I shot hoops. I would retrieve the ball and throw it back, kind of like a game of fetch. Asher befriended a boy who was sitting on the park bench watching us. He was about 7, and Asher went right over and sat beside him. Smiling, waving and coaxing him into playing catch with him. Asher got his wish, but after a few throws his teacher hollered at him from across the way to sit back down. As it turns out my little man got him in trouble, but I love the way that he will be friendly with just about any kid that comes along. Asher is a lot more guarded with other adults, just the way we want him to be. Asher was disappointed that his new buddy couldn't play, but he joined me with the basketball instead. He dribbles the ball by slapping it as hard as he can, then when he is bored he passes it back to me. He doesn't get upset with the fact that he can't shoot yet, even with my help. We left the park and finished our walk. Later in the morning Asher joined me in lifting weights, its pretty funny how much he enjoys being like daddy. His 2 lb rubber dumbells get lifted up over his head repeatedly while he beams proudly. That night, as if we hadn't had enough sports, Sheila, Asher and I bought a soccer ball at the store. While we waited for Wawa while she attended a play with her Guide group, Asher and I played soccer. He decided that 2 signs that were close together provided a good enough goal, and he jumped between the pipes. It's really funny, but as a goalie he actively roots for people to score on him. The ball almost dribble across the line on him, but he decided it was close enough. He let out a big cheer for me, then ran to give me a big hug. Then on his prompting we switched places. He managed to get a few past me, he is already hitting a size 5 soccer ball with his instep, something I can't get some of the 9 and 10 year olds to do. When his time comes, he will be ready. If you are one who keeps track of such things, Asher played soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey, swam and lifted weights this week. And they say we are getting inactive as a society, obesity rates are soaring and all is doom and gloom. Something tells me there is hope for us yet.
While Asher won't stop playing sports, Jasmine is a little different when it comes to physical activity. She is athletic that's for sure, but she doesn't obsess over sports the way her little brother does. Jasmine enjoys playing soccer and basketball with her teams and gets a lot out of her interactions with her teammates and coaches. She wants me to be her coach, and it provides some great father/daughter time that we both have fun with. While she has been gifted with an athletic body, and she is capable of great things, her desire to practice and work to get better isn't there. She just likes playing, and that is quite alright with me. Jasmine and I found a couple sports that she likes and it seems like she will stick with them long term. She's not worried about being the best, and it's nice because she doesn't get discouraged either. Besides her 2 teams sports, Jasmine has been an avid swimmer for her entire life. She goes at least once a week, and would stay all day if she could. This spring she has been riding her bike to school every day, and this has led her to going for more leisure rides as well. Her dedication to her bike has me on the lookout for a bigger one, something I promised as long as the current one got regular use. Hopefully the growth spurt is done for a while, and this next bike will fit for a while. It will be an adults bike so lets hope it works for a few years. Speaking of getting to big, she has also outgrown her soccer cleats, that she has never worn. That's right, Sheila found a bargain at the end of last season and stored the shoes away for the spring. Jasmine put them on last week for her first game, and found them to be too small. Like, 2 sizes too small. I took her to the mall to search for new ones, then we discovered with the sizing doohickey that she is actually completely out of kids sizes. This shouldn't be a surprise, she has been borrowing her mom's size 8 shoes for a while now. She needs a 7.5 in womens shoes, and dad had to go home to reformulate a plan. The adult shoes are much pricier then the kids ones, but hopefully they fit for a while once bought. Jasmine likes her sports, and I want to keep her comfortable while she plays. In the past week Jasmine played soccer and basketball, rode her bike every day, and swam on Wednesday. I am proud of both of my kids when it comes to the active lifestyles they have.
On the arts and culture front, my reading has stalled. I have been in the middle of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers for what feels like months now. I've been busy balancing family, exercise, extra work, poker and yard work and reading has been restricted to work time. I feel like I have been enjoying the book, but if I am going to be honest with myself, not picking up the novel is a sure sign that my interest isn't quite there. Hopefully I can make some progress on it this week, and I can move on to something else soon. The movie front has also been quiet. The last few weeks at work we have been unable to attend the theatre for various reasons. The last movie I watched if I remember correctly was "42". It was well done, with sports and drama mixing nicely. I think the last movie that Sheila and I watched at home was "The Adams Family". It was mediocre, and as is typical put me to sleep. Maybe we will find time this week to cuddle up and watch one, but with soccer season underway the schedule is filling up.
I have found a few great albums that I have been playing regularly in recent weeks. Apache Indian has a style of music that is unique to him. He is a British artist of Indian ancestry who created the genre "bhangramuffin". Most, including myself aren't familiar with the "raggamuffin" genre either which is a sub-genre of dancehall or reggae music. It relies more heavily on electronic instrumentation than reggae or dancehall does, and incorporates sampling quite often. Apache Indian puts a unique twist on it, in that he provides reggae style delivery with his indian accent. His sound is quite authentic as he practiced his craft, and recorded his albums with a number of different reggae artists in Jamaica. I can't help but move when I listen to it, and it never fails to lift my mood. The other new find is a dancehall group called Culcha Candela. They are a dancehall group formed in Berlin in 2001. The founding members go by the super cool names of Johnny Strange, Lafrotino and Itchyban. What I most enjoy about these guys is their multiculturalism, which leads them to incorporate english, german, spanish and jamaican patois into their tracks. The guys have German, Polish, Colmbian, Ugandan and Korean roots (there are now 7 members), and they move away from dancehall into reggae, salsa and rock genres as well. I have been playing their one album very heavily, and will likely give the rest of the work a try soon. Allow me to provide more info on both Apache and Culcha Candela, and a couple tunes as well.
Apache Indian Wiki
Culcha Candela Wiki
Last Sunday was a very nice day. After work Sheila, Jasmine, Asher and I drove to Quesnel to celebrate Mother's Day. We stopped at the municipal cemetary to visit Sheila's mom. We brought tulips, and cleaned off her headstone. Asher didn't really understand, but he was well behaved while we stayed. After a few minutes, Asher and I wandered away and let Sheila and Jasmine have some quiet time to reflect. Jasmine has some recollection of her Nana, but she was only 3 when she passed away. Sheila had a chance to shed a few tears as memories flooded over her. It was very nice that we had the chance to visit on such a special day. We then went for dinner at my parents house, and had a nice visit with my Mom and my second Mom, Anna. She is my mom's best friend, and just a wonderful kind hearted woman just like my mom. My mom always loves to see the kids, and it was great to see her so happy on her special day.
I really am quite lucky in life. I have a girlfriend and kids that love me, and I also have a very supportive extended family as well. My mom and dad as well as my sister Paulette have been seeing us regularly, and I think everyone has enjoyed the increased contact. Rather than making excuses as to why we can't get together, we have all made an effort to see each other frequently. We only live an hour apart, and it seems that excuse of distance has been cast aside in recent months and over the past year. My mom has made a few solo jaunts to stay with us, something that I know is outside of her comfort zone, but once she arrives it seems that she quite happy for having made the trip. Asher and Jasmine never fail to bring a smile to her face. My younger sister Erin lives in Montreal, but we have also made a better effort to have regular contact. She makes me very proud when I discuss all of the things she has accomplished in her short life to this point. Erin and my brother in law Adam recently sent Sheila and I a lovely note to celebrate both Mother's and Father's Day and it was a nice reminder of how lucky we are to have such family. My brother Ian lives in town here, and he and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in a few months. We are all getting very excited to meet him or her, and I know Ian and Larissa will be great parents. I am happy to be alive, and I hope all of my readers feel the same way. Have a great week!
I teased you all earlier about this video, then decided I had to include it as well. Watch Asher "Roger Clemens" Prosk nearly take out his Dad! Enjoy!
Our home is quite modest, and I am not one for going overboard with yard upkeep, but I do feel a certain level of pride when it comes to the appearance of our place. In the front yard we have a small garden plot, with a lilac bush in one portion of it. We will pull the weeds, rake the leaves out and plant a few new flowers in hopes that they survive the season. Sheila loves lilacs, they were her dearly departed mother's favourite flower, so in honour of her mom, Jasmine and I planted a second lilac bush in the front yard, near the road. We made a tiny circular garden space around it, and once again this year, we will add a few annuals to this little space. The flowers were safe from the Asher man last year, but he is another year older, and somewhat more destructive. He is smart little 2 year old, so I am hoping that an explanation from Dad will stop him from pulling heads off of flowers, or squashing the plants flat. We will have to see. We also have a small plot of gardening space in the backyard. Unfortunately, its located near the high wooden fence, and is partially blocked by a tall evergreen tree so we had limited success with the vegetables last year. With a bit more forethought, and a bit more attention from Jasmine and I, maybe we can see some better results. Ever year I get a little excited about gardening, though I wouldn't call myself an avid gardener. It's kind of fun to see if you have what it takes to grow a successful garden. As it is, we are about 0 for 5, but we will give it a go again this year.
The title of today's post is in reference to this past Tuesday's Provincial Election. The line above is one of a few different coping mechanisms I have been falling back on after the election resulted in a less than desirable outcome for myself. It truly is a bizzare feeling to support a party that was ahead in the opinion polls for 2 full years prior to the election, not once in that entire time were they behind, then have them fall soundly come election day. I was nervous coming into election day for a few reasons, and most of all, it's the power of the older crowd. Old people get out and do things when they matter to them. And when it comes right down to it, if you have the support of senior citizens, you can count on that support in the same way you can count on death and taxes. I am disappointed in the outcome of the election, I am disappointed in the younger crowd who simply didn't turn out at the polls, and most of all I am disappointed with the state of the political world as a whole. I have lived in Prince George for more than 10 years now where the municipal government, the provincial government and most certainly the federal government all lean heavily to the right of centre. I didn't cast a ballot for any of the people currently serving as my representative, save for 1 or 2 city councillors. What I see as a significant silver lining though, is that despite the fact that I don't care for the political ideals of these people who represent me, I am lucky enough to live in one of the best countries in the world. A country where even the politicians who represent the "right" are reasonably progressive. I am not going to get carried away, the federal Conservatives are far from proactive, but due to the culture of Canada, they are forced to move away from their most extreme ideals towards a more acceptable right of centre stance. Canada's version of right is actually left in many places in the world. We are so very lucky here in Canada to have the freedoms that we do have, so for me, despite the disappointment I felt earlier this week, I am just happy to have been born in a place and time where I am free to do or say almost anything. Will the Liberal Party do and say things that I don't agree with? Sure. Will they put economics ahead of people? Sure. But, I believe that while misguided, their intention is to do good. To improve the province that we live in. Time will tell, and if their track record is indicative, I will likely by let down, but even a let down in British Columbia is better than most places in the world.
Earlier this week, I finalized my plans for the summer in regards to sports and fitness. I had signed up for summer hockey a few weeks ago, then last week I committed to playing recreational soccer. I didn't play soccer last summer because it conflicted with Jasmine's soccer schedule. I also had written off playing in the open league due to frequence of weekend games that conflict with my work schedule. Saturday, as I haphazardly coached the opening game of Jasmine's soccer season, a friend of mine approached. His daughter is on our team, and I have been a soccer teammate of his in the past. I had asked him to help me out and coach the team for the next game while I was busy. Instead of asking about his coaching gig, he isntead inquired about my interest in playing with his soccer team. My reflex reaction was negative, as I knew the obstacle of scheduling would make things difficult. Also, I knew he was playing in the "30+" division, and I am stubbornly holding onto my twenties card, at least until my birthday in October. I asked my friend about the age thing, and he thought it was okay, as I will be 30 this year. We decided to wait and see, pending the schedule. It was released the next day, and it a happy twist of fate, many of the games fall on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, and I can play most of them. I was officially drafted last Wednesday and the first game is in 3 days. I have abandoned a few buddies who are set to play in the recreational league, but the chance to play a higher level of soccer is one I want to take. I didn't play soccer at all last year, and spent the season before in the recreational league. Prior to that I played 2 seasons on a very weak division 2 team. Needless to say, it is likely that my new team will be the best team I have been a part of in a long time. My friend is the reigning "Top Defender" in the league, and he is the only member of my new team that knows my game. On his word, the team signed me up. It adds a little pressure, and I am admitedly a little nervous going to the first game. My love of fitness and exercise is continuing to grow and one of the fun things that comes with it is my ability to challenge myself. I look at this as one of those opportunities to put myself out there and go for it.
I spent some time the other day figuring out which days I could book off that would allow me to have a few extra free days with Sheila and the kids. The residual effect of this is that it frees me up to play a few more soccer games that fall on weekends, and it also opened me up to add another running race to my plans. As we stand, I am going to run 5 races this season, starting in 2 weeks when I run the YMCA Road Race. Adding soccer to my summer plans, to go along with the running races and the hockey games will lead to a few interesting tests of my stamina and fitness. One such situation falls of the weekend of June 14th and 15th. I have booked the days off, and will play soccer on the Friday night at 630. The next morning at 10, I plan to participate in the "Beat the Bugs" 10 km trail run. I really like to challenge myself, but this will likely be my biggest test yet. I'll let you know if I survive, a discontinued blog and you can draw your own conclusions.
My rekindled love of sports has shown up in Asher in spades. His favorite things are his "truckies", his potato heads, and his growing collection of sports gear. He has his set of plastic mini "gicks" and his mini hockey nets. He has a handful of hockey balls, hockey pucks, 3 or 4 "buuballs", a couple "gocker" balls, a "baaball" glove and bat to go with the balls themselves, and it goes on from there. On Thursday morning after we had roused ourselves from bed we went outside to go for a walk. Asher found his glove and ball, and we got distracted. Asher handed me the bat, and before long we were all set. Asher was the pitcher, and yes, he can throw. Standing about 15 feet away from me, he was able to throw a hittable pitch time and time again. I crouched down to his size so that he didn't have to throw it high, but nonetheless I was blown away by his accuracy. When I hit the ball, I would run across the yard to the fence, and he was able to figure out the idea of tagging me out. He would laugh hysterically as he chased after me, and when he caught me he even threw in the "you're out!" for effect. I snapped a couple of pics of the little guy and his gear, then when I attempted a video, hilarity insued. I wanted to show off to Sheila just how good he can toss the ball and I start to record. I provide commentary, then realize that Asher won't have me crouching down as a hitter to provide a target. I say "throw a pitch", while standing safely off to the side with the record button down. He winds up to throw straight ahead of him, but I had obviously caused some confusion. The throw came straight at me with perfect accuracy. I jumped out of the way while hollering, shocked that it was so perfectly thrown. I will have to rethink my videography plan before attempting it again.
We went for our walk, but not without the glove and ball that he wore the whole time. Our destination was the park at Jasmine's school where we stopped to play basketball. Asher wore his glove, and he tossed the ball at me while I shot hoops. I would retrieve the ball and throw it back, kind of like a game of fetch. Asher befriended a boy who was sitting on the park bench watching us. He was about 7, and Asher went right over and sat beside him. Smiling, waving and coaxing him into playing catch with him. Asher got his wish, but after a few throws his teacher hollered at him from across the way to sit back down. As it turns out my little man got him in trouble, but I love the way that he will be friendly with just about any kid that comes along. Asher is a lot more guarded with other adults, just the way we want him to be. Asher was disappointed that his new buddy couldn't play, but he joined me with the basketball instead. He dribbles the ball by slapping it as hard as he can, then when he is bored he passes it back to me. He doesn't get upset with the fact that he can't shoot yet, even with my help. We left the park and finished our walk. Later in the morning Asher joined me in lifting weights, its pretty funny how much he enjoys being like daddy. His 2 lb rubber dumbells get lifted up over his head repeatedly while he beams proudly. That night, as if we hadn't had enough sports, Sheila, Asher and I bought a soccer ball at the store. While we waited for Wawa while she attended a play with her Guide group, Asher and I played soccer. He decided that 2 signs that were close together provided a good enough goal, and he jumped between the pipes. It's really funny, but as a goalie he actively roots for people to score on him. The ball almost dribble across the line on him, but he decided it was close enough. He let out a big cheer for me, then ran to give me a big hug. Then on his prompting we switched places. He managed to get a few past me, he is already hitting a size 5 soccer ball with his instep, something I can't get some of the 9 and 10 year olds to do. When his time comes, he will be ready. If you are one who keeps track of such things, Asher played soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey, swam and lifted weights this week. And they say we are getting inactive as a society, obesity rates are soaring and all is doom and gloom. Something tells me there is hope for us yet.
While Asher won't stop playing sports, Jasmine is a little different when it comes to physical activity. She is athletic that's for sure, but she doesn't obsess over sports the way her little brother does. Jasmine enjoys playing soccer and basketball with her teams and gets a lot out of her interactions with her teammates and coaches. She wants me to be her coach, and it provides some great father/daughter time that we both have fun with. While she has been gifted with an athletic body, and she is capable of great things, her desire to practice and work to get better isn't there. She just likes playing, and that is quite alright with me. Jasmine and I found a couple sports that she likes and it seems like she will stick with them long term. She's not worried about being the best, and it's nice because she doesn't get discouraged either. Besides her 2 teams sports, Jasmine has been an avid swimmer for her entire life. She goes at least once a week, and would stay all day if she could. This spring she has been riding her bike to school every day, and this has led her to going for more leisure rides as well. Her dedication to her bike has me on the lookout for a bigger one, something I promised as long as the current one got regular use. Hopefully the growth spurt is done for a while, and this next bike will fit for a while. It will be an adults bike so lets hope it works for a few years. Speaking of getting to big, she has also outgrown her soccer cleats, that she has never worn. That's right, Sheila found a bargain at the end of last season and stored the shoes away for the spring. Jasmine put them on last week for her first game, and found them to be too small. Like, 2 sizes too small. I took her to the mall to search for new ones, then we discovered with the sizing doohickey that she is actually completely out of kids sizes. This shouldn't be a surprise, she has been borrowing her mom's size 8 shoes for a while now. She needs a 7.5 in womens shoes, and dad had to go home to reformulate a plan. The adult shoes are much pricier then the kids ones, but hopefully they fit for a while once bought. Jasmine likes her sports, and I want to keep her comfortable while she plays. In the past week Jasmine played soccer and basketball, rode her bike every day, and swam on Wednesday. I am proud of both of my kids when it comes to the active lifestyles they have.
On the arts and culture front, my reading has stalled. I have been in the middle of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers for what feels like months now. I've been busy balancing family, exercise, extra work, poker and yard work and reading has been restricted to work time. I feel like I have been enjoying the book, but if I am going to be honest with myself, not picking up the novel is a sure sign that my interest isn't quite there. Hopefully I can make some progress on it this week, and I can move on to something else soon. The movie front has also been quiet. The last few weeks at work we have been unable to attend the theatre for various reasons. The last movie I watched if I remember correctly was "42". It was well done, with sports and drama mixing nicely. I think the last movie that Sheila and I watched at home was "The Adams Family". It was mediocre, and as is typical put me to sleep. Maybe we will find time this week to cuddle up and watch one, but with soccer season underway the schedule is filling up.
I have found a few great albums that I have been playing regularly in recent weeks. Apache Indian has a style of music that is unique to him. He is a British artist of Indian ancestry who created the genre "bhangramuffin". Most, including myself aren't familiar with the "raggamuffin" genre either which is a sub-genre of dancehall or reggae music. It relies more heavily on electronic instrumentation than reggae or dancehall does, and incorporates sampling quite often. Apache Indian puts a unique twist on it, in that he provides reggae style delivery with his indian accent. His sound is quite authentic as he practiced his craft, and recorded his albums with a number of different reggae artists in Jamaica. I can't help but move when I listen to it, and it never fails to lift my mood. The other new find is a dancehall group called Culcha Candela. They are a dancehall group formed in Berlin in 2001. The founding members go by the super cool names of Johnny Strange, Lafrotino and Itchyban. What I most enjoy about these guys is their multiculturalism, which leads them to incorporate english, german, spanish and jamaican patois into their tracks. The guys have German, Polish, Colmbian, Ugandan and Korean roots (there are now 7 members), and they move away from dancehall into reggae, salsa and rock genres as well. I have been playing their one album very heavily, and will likely give the rest of the work a try soon. Allow me to provide more info on both Apache and Culcha Candela, and a couple tunes as well.
Apache Indian Wiki
Culcha Candela Wiki
Last Sunday was a very nice day. After work Sheila, Jasmine, Asher and I drove to Quesnel to celebrate Mother's Day. We stopped at the municipal cemetary to visit Sheila's mom. We brought tulips, and cleaned off her headstone. Asher didn't really understand, but he was well behaved while we stayed. After a few minutes, Asher and I wandered away and let Sheila and Jasmine have some quiet time to reflect. Jasmine has some recollection of her Nana, but she was only 3 when she passed away. Sheila had a chance to shed a few tears as memories flooded over her. It was very nice that we had the chance to visit on such a special day. We then went for dinner at my parents house, and had a nice visit with my Mom and my second Mom, Anna. She is my mom's best friend, and just a wonderful kind hearted woman just like my mom. My mom always loves to see the kids, and it was great to see her so happy on her special day.
I really am quite lucky in life. I have a girlfriend and kids that love me, and I also have a very supportive extended family as well. My mom and dad as well as my sister Paulette have been seeing us regularly, and I think everyone has enjoyed the increased contact. Rather than making excuses as to why we can't get together, we have all made an effort to see each other frequently. We only live an hour apart, and it seems that excuse of distance has been cast aside in recent months and over the past year. My mom has made a few solo jaunts to stay with us, something that I know is outside of her comfort zone, but once she arrives it seems that she quite happy for having made the trip. Asher and Jasmine never fail to bring a smile to her face. My younger sister Erin lives in Montreal, but we have also made a better effort to have regular contact. She makes me very proud when I discuss all of the things she has accomplished in her short life to this point. Erin and my brother in law Adam recently sent Sheila and I a lovely note to celebrate both Mother's and Father's Day and it was a nice reminder of how lucky we are to have such family. My brother Ian lives in town here, and he and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in a few months. We are all getting very excited to meet him or her, and I know Ian and Larissa will be great parents. I am happy to be alive, and I hope all of my readers feel the same way. Have a great week!
I teased you all earlier about this video, then decided I had to include it as well. Watch Asher "Roger Clemens" Prosk nearly take out his Dad! Enjoy!
Monday, 29 April 2013
This is a Blog Post
I had grand illusions of using this space to let everyone know how busy I am. The truth is, that while I may have had a fairly busy week, the real reason that I am unable to produce a longer post is that my normal blogging time, the quiet of the early morning before the guys I care for have risen for the day, will be used for more important things. Later today, we are doing our annual refresher course for Therapuetic Crisis Intervention. It is required learning, and in the case of emergency at work, is beneficial to keeping myself and the guys safe. I am lucky in that the guys I work with are general calm and jovial characters, and I have little reason to use any of the training. That doesn't mean it's not worth knowing. Having peace of mind is a nice thing for mind, body and soul. I thought I would provide a quick update on the week that was, provided my time doesn't run out.
Last weekend, just over a week ago, I struck a deal with one of my competitors to "chop" our hockey pool. Those of you who are poker players will know the term, but the "chop" is a splitting of the prize money reducing the gap between the finishing positions and reducing the variance involved. We had 10 entrants at $100 each, and then 6 of the guys put in an extra $50 for a winner takes all side pot. Both Cam and I were in the side pot and had run away from the other 8 teams. We had 9 days left in the season, and I had closed the gap from 30 points to 8 points in the 2 weeks preceeding. First place with the side pot included was scheduled to get $1000, and second was set to get $225. I offered to make a deal, and within a couple of days, I recieved a response. $600 for him, $500 for me, and we play it out for the last $125. After doing some quick math, I decided to take the offer. I then proceeded to close the gap to 3 points with a few days left, but never did get any closer. I took second, and the $500. All in all, a good result after getting dead last in the same pool last season. My best picks? They were Patrik Elias late, Jakub Voracek when everyone giggled, and Matt Moulson.
Having locked up a bit of cash in the hockey pool, I decided it was time to get back to the poker tables. I made a few visits to the Treasure Cove this past week, and while mostly uneventful, I came out in the black. 10 days ago, on Friday after work I stopped in to play. I visited with a friend while I waited for a spot to open up. When I got in to play it was a quiet game, but I immeadiately started catching cards. While most of my good luck was being wasted due to a lack of action it was a very encouraging sign to at least be hitting. My luck had been so sour that anything positive was welcomed. As we sleepily played a limp and call type of game, I found a big hand. I played Queens for a raise in early position and got just one caller. I flopped a set, with an ace on the board. I got the call. When a second club turned and I led out again, I was promptly re-raised. I shoved for the rest of my stack (~$250) and managed to win when his A6 of clubs didn't hit. I booked a solid win that night, which had me itching to return. I played a few more times this past week, and while I broke even overall, I felt like I was playing really well. My game gets rusty due to inactivity, but I also don't have a ton of time to play when I am juggling everything that life throws at me. I have a couple more weeks to play, then soccer season starts which will cut into my free time quite significantly.
Speaking of soccer, I went and picked up the gear and schedules for Jasmine's team this past Saturday. The season is set to begin in less than two weeks, and I'm getting excited. I'm coaching with the same partner I had last year, and I really enjoyed hanging out with Steve. We both had the same goal, to help our girls and the rest of the team have a lot of fun. I think we were pretty successful last season, the girls all seemed to enjoy themselves, and we also won almost every game. Most of the wins came due to hard work and effort, as the girls grinded out plenty of close games. As I looked over the new team for this year, aside from Steve's daughter, I recognized only one other name. I'm looking at this as a chance to get to know some different kids and see what I can do to help them along their soccer paths. Enjoy the game, improve your skills while you are at it, and see where it takes us. I'm anticipating the challenge greatly.
I'm still contemplating what I am going to do for summer sports myself. I feel like I should play soccer, despite my annoyance over the escalating fees. I have had a number of recent discussions with people asking me if I am going to play. I bumped into a teammate from 2 years ago at the youth soccer office, and he asked me if I was going to play. I ran into an old Quesnel acquaintance and found myself encouraging him to get back into soccer (he was damn good 20 years ago when we were kids). I got together with my hockey pool buddies, and had a couple of them talking about playing. The recreational league doesn't conflict with Jasmine's soccer so that excuse is out the window. Just do it, right?
The hockey pool buddies only get together for one reason, and it was with that in mind that we met up last night. I had to collect my cash from the regular season pool, then turned around and handed part of the money back over for the playoff pool. Only 8 entries this time, we lost 3 guys and added 1. I didn't prepare properly, and the end result was a team I don't care for. Channeling all the powers of Nostradumbass I've expertly decided that Boston will meet and defeat Chicago in the Stanley Cup Final. This will happen after they beat Pittsburgh and Vancouver respectively in the Conference Finals. With that in mind, I tried to stick to those teams for my players. The problem being that Boston is quite a low scoring team that spreads their offense around. I didn't get my hands on the top Chicago guys, and the Pittsburgh guys went very quickly. This left me with Vancouver and all their talented snipers. Of course, I didn't get them, I got the second line guys. If these boys win, we can all be shocked together. I have Dave Krejci, Marian Hossa, Henrik Sedin, Patrice Bergeron, PK Subban, Tyler Seguin, TJ Oshie, Alex Burrows, Brendan Gallagher, and Jannik Hansen. To make life more interesting, I took a bet that says Vancouver beats San Jose in the first round. Yes, I hate the Canucks. And yes, I will be stuck cheering for them to some extent as I have 3 of their players, and a sizeable bet to see them win in the first round. Go me!
I think it's fair to say that I'm addicted to this exercise thing. I know, I talk endlessly about it, but it's now reached a whole new level. If I have an unproductive day, I feel off. Having a solid cardio or weight lifting session makes me feel better for the rest of the day. It frees my mind, and gives me a sense of accomplishment. I managed to nicely fill my week with exercise, and I am pretty damn proud of myself. I totalled 10 km running, 16 km biking, 9 km walking, 4 sessions with the weights, 2 hours of yard work, 2 trips to the swimming pool and as my Dad pointed out, spent plenty of time chasing a 2 year old. I time my runs, and this week I managed a 5km run in 23:40, my second run in driving rain and gusting wind clocked in at 26:01. I would be more then happy if I could run at that pace over the full 10 km next month when I race, but I am shooting for the more realistic goal of 5 minutes per kilometer. I know there is a different feel on race day, adrenaline, other runners to keep pace with and so on, so I am going to set a realistic goal and look to out pace it. I like they way the training is going so far.
I'm currently in the middle of two books. I usually like to read one at a time, but circumstances led me to having two on the go. I will politely describe my friend as a non-reader, someone who only picks up reading material when he needs to drop the kids off at the pool. When I visited him recently in Quesnel, I was chatting his wife up about reading and the books we have been enjoying. Next thing I knew and my buddy was chiming in with a strong recommendation to read "Crazy Man's Creek" by Jack Boudreau. My friend is an outdoorsman, loving all things that involve getting out in nature. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, tree sapping (is that the right term?), and mining are all interests of his. He told me he likes to read about thing that are "real", not made up stories, and he especially likes to read about the local area. He passed along his copy of the book, and the other day I dove in. It's a fun read, and I can relate to the idea that local stories add some interest as well. Most of the stories centre on the early half of the 20th century and the initial settling of the Prince George area. Thanks Richie for the solid recommendation! I'm also reaching the climax of another book on the Modern Library list, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. It's really good so far, another work from the Southern gothic genre, with a focus on black struggles against racism and opression. It really focusses on the nature of humanity, and the power of listening to one another. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Last but not least, I found time to enjoy a few movies the past couple of weeks. I got to the theatre 10 days ago with the guys to enjoy "42". I loved it, and I think most everyone will enjoy it. Baseball is the background for a great human rights story. Harrison Ford pulls off an awesome performance as Branch Rickey the man who decided to take it upon himself to break the colour barrier in baseball. If it wasn't for him, Jackie Robinson never would have got his shot. At home, Sheila and I caught "The Adams Family", which neither of us had seen. Meh. Really, it was okay, but the unique concept could have been done better. I got a kick out of seeing Christina Ricci again, as she was and still is one of my favorite actresses. When I saw her in "Casper" as a pimply youth of 12, I fell in love. Later, she cemented my crush with a steamy performance in "Buffalo 66" when I was 15. I was smitten, what can I say? I don't care for her looks much now, but nothing will take away that teenage attraction. I also watched "UHF" starring Weird Al this week. It was odd and quirky as you might expect, but it wasn't bad. It was made 24 years ago and led to Weird Al getting zero other movie roles, so maybe it wasn't well recieved amongst those who matter in the movie industry. All in all, I enjoyed it. I also watched "The Foot Fist Way" starring Danny McBride this week. Made on a whopping $78,000 budget, McBride is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd star. Playing the lovable loser who runs a kung fu training facility, he is convinced that he is a really big deal. No one else thinks so, and hilarity ensues. I already liked McBride from his work in a "Pineapple Express", "Hot Rod", "Tropic Thunder", "Your Highness" and this just makes him even cooler. Definitely, its worth a watch.
I have saved the most important bit for last, as my younger sister is set to celebrate a birthday tomorrow. Erin turns 28 tomorrow, and as the world turns we just can't stop getting older. I remember the days clearly in my mind when I would torment her endlessly. Despite the hell I put her through my sister become an amazingly accomplished woman. She holds a B.A. from McGill, a Masters from U.B.C. and she is currently keeping busy running a Compassion Club with her boyfriend in Montreal. I am very proud of her, and often enjoy bragging about the things she has accomplished. Happy Birthday Erin! I hope you enjoy your day, and find some time to relax and celebrate.
Last weekend, just over a week ago, I struck a deal with one of my competitors to "chop" our hockey pool. Those of you who are poker players will know the term, but the "chop" is a splitting of the prize money reducing the gap between the finishing positions and reducing the variance involved. We had 10 entrants at $100 each, and then 6 of the guys put in an extra $50 for a winner takes all side pot. Both Cam and I were in the side pot and had run away from the other 8 teams. We had 9 days left in the season, and I had closed the gap from 30 points to 8 points in the 2 weeks preceeding. First place with the side pot included was scheduled to get $1000, and second was set to get $225. I offered to make a deal, and within a couple of days, I recieved a response. $600 for him, $500 for me, and we play it out for the last $125. After doing some quick math, I decided to take the offer. I then proceeded to close the gap to 3 points with a few days left, but never did get any closer. I took second, and the $500. All in all, a good result after getting dead last in the same pool last season. My best picks? They were Patrik Elias late, Jakub Voracek when everyone giggled, and Matt Moulson.
Having locked up a bit of cash in the hockey pool, I decided it was time to get back to the poker tables. I made a few visits to the Treasure Cove this past week, and while mostly uneventful, I came out in the black. 10 days ago, on Friday after work I stopped in to play. I visited with a friend while I waited for a spot to open up. When I got in to play it was a quiet game, but I immeadiately started catching cards. While most of my good luck was being wasted due to a lack of action it was a very encouraging sign to at least be hitting. My luck had been so sour that anything positive was welcomed. As we sleepily played a limp and call type of game, I found a big hand. I played Queens for a raise in early position and got just one caller. I flopped a set, with an ace on the board. I got the call. When a second club turned and I led out again, I was promptly re-raised. I shoved for the rest of my stack (~$250) and managed to win when his A6 of clubs didn't hit. I booked a solid win that night, which had me itching to return. I played a few more times this past week, and while I broke even overall, I felt like I was playing really well. My game gets rusty due to inactivity, but I also don't have a ton of time to play when I am juggling everything that life throws at me. I have a couple more weeks to play, then soccer season starts which will cut into my free time quite significantly.
Speaking of soccer, I went and picked up the gear and schedules for Jasmine's team this past Saturday. The season is set to begin in less than two weeks, and I'm getting excited. I'm coaching with the same partner I had last year, and I really enjoyed hanging out with Steve. We both had the same goal, to help our girls and the rest of the team have a lot of fun. I think we were pretty successful last season, the girls all seemed to enjoy themselves, and we also won almost every game. Most of the wins came due to hard work and effort, as the girls grinded out plenty of close games. As I looked over the new team for this year, aside from Steve's daughter, I recognized only one other name. I'm looking at this as a chance to get to know some different kids and see what I can do to help them along their soccer paths. Enjoy the game, improve your skills while you are at it, and see where it takes us. I'm anticipating the challenge greatly.
I'm still contemplating what I am going to do for summer sports myself. I feel like I should play soccer, despite my annoyance over the escalating fees. I have had a number of recent discussions with people asking me if I am going to play. I bumped into a teammate from 2 years ago at the youth soccer office, and he asked me if I was going to play. I ran into an old Quesnel acquaintance and found myself encouraging him to get back into soccer (he was damn good 20 years ago when we were kids). I got together with my hockey pool buddies, and had a couple of them talking about playing. The recreational league doesn't conflict with Jasmine's soccer so that excuse is out the window. Just do it, right?
The hockey pool buddies only get together for one reason, and it was with that in mind that we met up last night. I had to collect my cash from the regular season pool, then turned around and handed part of the money back over for the playoff pool. Only 8 entries this time, we lost 3 guys and added 1. I didn't prepare properly, and the end result was a team I don't care for. Channeling all the powers of Nostradumbass I've expertly decided that Boston will meet and defeat Chicago in the Stanley Cup Final. This will happen after they beat Pittsburgh and Vancouver respectively in the Conference Finals. With that in mind, I tried to stick to those teams for my players. The problem being that Boston is quite a low scoring team that spreads their offense around. I didn't get my hands on the top Chicago guys, and the Pittsburgh guys went very quickly. This left me with Vancouver and all their talented snipers. Of course, I didn't get them, I got the second line guys. If these boys win, we can all be shocked together. I have Dave Krejci, Marian Hossa, Henrik Sedin, Patrice Bergeron, PK Subban, Tyler Seguin, TJ Oshie, Alex Burrows, Brendan Gallagher, and Jannik Hansen. To make life more interesting, I took a bet that says Vancouver beats San Jose in the first round. Yes, I hate the Canucks. And yes, I will be stuck cheering for them to some extent as I have 3 of their players, and a sizeable bet to see them win in the first round. Go me!
I think it's fair to say that I'm addicted to this exercise thing. I know, I talk endlessly about it, but it's now reached a whole new level. If I have an unproductive day, I feel off. Having a solid cardio or weight lifting session makes me feel better for the rest of the day. It frees my mind, and gives me a sense of accomplishment. I managed to nicely fill my week with exercise, and I am pretty damn proud of myself. I totalled 10 km running, 16 km biking, 9 km walking, 4 sessions with the weights, 2 hours of yard work, 2 trips to the swimming pool and as my Dad pointed out, spent plenty of time chasing a 2 year old. I time my runs, and this week I managed a 5km run in 23:40, my second run in driving rain and gusting wind clocked in at 26:01. I would be more then happy if I could run at that pace over the full 10 km next month when I race, but I am shooting for the more realistic goal of 5 minutes per kilometer. I know there is a different feel on race day, adrenaline, other runners to keep pace with and so on, so I am going to set a realistic goal and look to out pace it. I like they way the training is going so far.
I'm currently in the middle of two books. I usually like to read one at a time, but circumstances led me to having two on the go. I will politely describe my friend as a non-reader, someone who only picks up reading material when he needs to drop the kids off at the pool. When I visited him recently in Quesnel, I was chatting his wife up about reading and the books we have been enjoying. Next thing I knew and my buddy was chiming in with a strong recommendation to read "Crazy Man's Creek" by Jack Boudreau. My friend is an outdoorsman, loving all things that involve getting out in nature. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, tree sapping (is that the right term?), and mining are all interests of his. He told me he likes to read about thing that are "real", not made up stories, and he especially likes to read about the local area. He passed along his copy of the book, and the other day I dove in. It's a fun read, and I can relate to the idea that local stories add some interest as well. Most of the stories centre on the early half of the 20th century and the initial settling of the Prince George area. Thanks Richie for the solid recommendation! I'm also reaching the climax of another book on the Modern Library list, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. It's really good so far, another work from the Southern gothic genre, with a focus on black struggles against racism and opression. It really focusses on the nature of humanity, and the power of listening to one another. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Last but not least, I found time to enjoy a few movies the past couple of weeks. I got to the theatre 10 days ago with the guys to enjoy "42". I loved it, and I think most everyone will enjoy it. Baseball is the background for a great human rights story. Harrison Ford pulls off an awesome performance as Branch Rickey the man who decided to take it upon himself to break the colour barrier in baseball. If it wasn't for him, Jackie Robinson never would have got his shot. At home, Sheila and I caught "The Adams Family", which neither of us had seen. Meh. Really, it was okay, but the unique concept could have been done better. I got a kick out of seeing Christina Ricci again, as she was and still is one of my favorite actresses. When I saw her in "Casper" as a pimply youth of 12, I fell in love. Later, she cemented my crush with a steamy performance in "Buffalo 66" when I was 15. I was smitten, what can I say? I don't care for her looks much now, but nothing will take away that teenage attraction. I also watched "UHF" starring Weird Al this week. It was odd and quirky as you might expect, but it wasn't bad. It was made 24 years ago and led to Weird Al getting zero other movie roles, so maybe it wasn't well recieved amongst those who matter in the movie industry. All in all, I enjoyed it. I also watched "The Foot Fist Way" starring Danny McBride this week. Made on a whopping $78,000 budget, McBride is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd star. Playing the lovable loser who runs a kung fu training facility, he is convinced that he is a really big deal. No one else thinks so, and hilarity ensues. I already liked McBride from his work in a "Pineapple Express", "Hot Rod", "Tropic Thunder", "Your Highness" and this just makes him even cooler. Definitely, its worth a watch.
I have saved the most important bit for last, as my younger sister is set to celebrate a birthday tomorrow. Erin turns 28 tomorrow, and as the world turns we just can't stop getting older. I remember the days clearly in my mind when I would torment her endlessly. Despite the hell I put her through my sister become an amazingly accomplished woman. She holds a B.A. from McGill, a Masters from U.B.C. and she is currently keeping busy running a Compassion Club with her boyfriend in Montreal. I am very proud of her, and often enjoy bragging about the things she has accomplished. Happy Birthday Erin! I hope you enjoy your day, and find some time to relax and celebrate.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Music For A Reason UPDATED: Now With a Working List
I don't know when the change happened, it's likely that there wasn't a date or time specifically. But over the last number of years an evolution has taken place in the kinds of music that enjoy. Truth be told, I have branched out, a lot. I'm actually having a laugh and smile as I think about it, but as recently as a couple of years ago, I was still hanging on to my teenage ideas of what I thought was "good music". I was a rap fan, and I still am. I've just allowed other genres to reach my ears, and I am very glad that I did. It's not that rap music sucks or isn't any good. It's a genre like any other, there is good and there is bad. The commercialized generic stuff I was told to like by media and advertising, I just went ahead and "liked".
Now, it has been about 17 years since I first started enjoying rap music. Sadly, as I look back my choices were made for all of the wrong reasons. See, I was a scrawny, little guy who had a ridiculous number of things for bullies to key on, from said tiny, short build, to my parents both being teachers, to my old sister being not only adopted but handicapped as well. I had a small number of friends, and part of this is my personality. I like an uncluttered life, and at the same time I am a bit outspoken, both things that lend themselves to keeping a small circle of friends. As memory serves, I chose rap music as a way of "being cool" but because I was young and dumb, this just led to more teasing. I am about as un hiphop as one can get. I grew up in a middle class neighbourhood in a small city almost completely devoid of any African American people. We had one black family in the city of 15,000, and a few other black kids who had been adopted by white families. My parents listened to country music, and eventually my Dad gravitated towards the easy listening genre. Today, I can't think of anything my Dad enjoys other then bagpipe music in all its splendor. He has taken up the bagpipes, which is damn cool, but it's pretty far from urban. I digress, but my point is, I had absolutely no reason to enjoy rap music, other then it being what the other guys on the volleyball team were listening to. Now, don't take this as me denouncing the genre. That's not my intention. I have always enjoyed the beats and hooks more then the lyrical content.
I find a lot of similarities between rap music, and one of my new loves, electronica. When stripped down, both rely on catchy, different hooks that get you into the song. While rap lyrics are often hate-filled, spat out in an angry tone, the same hook with the generally upbeat positive style associated with electronica lyrics can pick up ones mood, something that most people can relate to. I am eventually trying to get to a point here, and that is that while music can be many things, for me as I near the age of 30, it shouldn't be based on what other people think, and it isn't anymore. It truly is a liberating feeling to know this, be aware of it, and embrace it. I still listen to the rap genre, more specifically hip hop. It's a slower style rap that I am often into, and when one looks at it, hip hop's slow delivery style has a lot of similarities to folk music. I like a good story, be it a novel, a movie, a folk song or a hip hop song. Capture my attention, and I will return that interest. I find that I now listen to music for a reason. My love of exercise has been well documented in this space, and I never workout without music playing loudly either on my computer speakers, or on my ipod touch. Different genres serve the motivational purpose, but my tastes often differ with my mood. When I want to relax, I gravitate towards folk, or my new interest, country. I like a good R & B album, if I am in a reflective mood. Heart rate raising music could be electronica, standard pop music, or my reliable rap music. Rock albums get played too, but I am having a hard time pinning down what mood they best serve. It really depends. My music collection is huge, it really is big. I know everyone says that, but between my numerous computers and hard drives, I probably have upwards of ~5,000 albums. Not all are good, but through my meticulous research and sampling I have found some absolute gems that I never would have heard otherwise. God bless the internet, bit torrent, mininova, pirate bay, metacritic, and most of all, my favorite website currently, wikipedia. I've decided that I will provide a few videos below, giving my current favorite artists in each genre that I can think of. This won't be forced, rather it will demonstrate my wide variety of tastes. Perhaps I can help you find something new to listen to.
After compiling the list below I have a few observations.
-Yes, I have listened to the albums from every one of these artists. These are my current favorites in each genre, not necessarily my favorites ever. I have listened to all of these album at least once in the last month.
-I can hardly believe it myself, but currently my favorite album is by The Steeldrivers "Hammer Down". I had not listened to any bluegrass whatsoever until 2012. To round out my top 5, Hot Chip "The Warning", fat boy slim "The Greatest Hits", Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans "Cabin Fever", and fun. "Some Nights". That is 1 electronica album, 1 country, 1 pop, 1 house and 1 bluegrass album. Perfect.
-Some of these albums are current, some most definitely are not. I often will get stuck on an album for years, not even realizing that the artists has released new material since. On occasion I can't find the new stuff, but usually I just don't realize it has been released. Over the last number of months I have been more diligent about keeping up with new releases.
-I love to try new genres that I haven't explored previously. One of the albums on the list below is India.Arie's "Testimony Volume 2: Love and Politics" that she released in 2009. I have been listening to it fairly regularly since then. I haven't found many other artists in her soul genre that I have liked, but for whatever reason her album never gets old.
-This list has a small amount of Canadian content. For my international readers, the Canadians are as follows: Neil Young, Corb Lund, Dan Mangan, Tegan and Sara, Yukon Blonde, and Big Wreck's lead singer Ian Thornley. Don't be afraid to give them a go, as a nation we aren't half bad at this music thing.
- In less than 3 weeks Sheila and I are going to see Corb Lund in concert. I am very excited, as it has been a few years since my last concert. My love for music has really grown in the last year, so my concert quota will likely rise. Money is an issue, one that held me back from grabbing tickets to this week's Motley Crue concert with Big Wreck opening. I have had some strong feelings of regret in the last few days over deciding to skip it, and am considering buying last minute tickets. The choice comes down to replacing my worn out bicycle, or attending the concert with Sheila. I'll let you know how that turns out.
-When the idea to compile this list came to me, I figured it would take some work. Well, it most definitely did. I had a lot of fun with it though, and a couple of tough calls in genres which resulted in two videos being posted.
These are my current favorites in each genre, from A to Z.
Alternative My Bloody Valentine
Americana Neil Young and Crazyhorse
Bluegrass - The Steeldrivers
Blues - Ry Cooder
Country - Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans
Dancehall - Elephant Man
Dubstep - Skrillex
Electronica - (a) Hot Chip (b) Pepe Deluxe
Folk - (a) Laura Marling (b) Jeff Bridges
Gypsy - Hawk and a Hacksaw
Hip Hop - (a) Rizzle Kicks (b) Kendrick Lamar
House - Fat Boy Slim
Indie Folk - Dan Mangan
Indie Rock - (a) Tegan and Sara (b) Yukon Blonde
Metal - Motley Crue
Pop - fun.
Punk - Propagandhi
Rap - (a) Hopsin and SwizZz (b) Glasses Malone
Rap Rock - Hollywood Undead
Reggae - Matisyahu
R & B - Frank Ocean
Rock - Big Wreck
Ska - Cas Haley
Soul - India.Arie
Now, it has been about 17 years since I first started enjoying rap music. Sadly, as I look back my choices were made for all of the wrong reasons. See, I was a scrawny, little guy who had a ridiculous number of things for bullies to key on, from said tiny, short build, to my parents both being teachers, to my old sister being not only adopted but handicapped as well. I had a small number of friends, and part of this is my personality. I like an uncluttered life, and at the same time I am a bit outspoken, both things that lend themselves to keeping a small circle of friends. As memory serves, I chose rap music as a way of "being cool" but because I was young and dumb, this just led to more teasing. I am about as un hiphop as one can get. I grew up in a middle class neighbourhood in a small city almost completely devoid of any African American people. We had one black family in the city of 15,000, and a few other black kids who had been adopted by white families. My parents listened to country music, and eventually my Dad gravitated towards the easy listening genre. Today, I can't think of anything my Dad enjoys other then bagpipe music in all its splendor. He has taken up the bagpipes, which is damn cool, but it's pretty far from urban. I digress, but my point is, I had absolutely no reason to enjoy rap music, other then it being what the other guys on the volleyball team were listening to. Now, don't take this as me denouncing the genre. That's not my intention. I have always enjoyed the beats and hooks more then the lyrical content.
I find a lot of similarities between rap music, and one of my new loves, electronica. When stripped down, both rely on catchy, different hooks that get you into the song. While rap lyrics are often hate-filled, spat out in an angry tone, the same hook with the generally upbeat positive style associated with electronica lyrics can pick up ones mood, something that most people can relate to. I am eventually trying to get to a point here, and that is that while music can be many things, for me as I near the age of 30, it shouldn't be based on what other people think, and it isn't anymore. It truly is a liberating feeling to know this, be aware of it, and embrace it. I still listen to the rap genre, more specifically hip hop. It's a slower style rap that I am often into, and when one looks at it, hip hop's slow delivery style has a lot of similarities to folk music. I like a good story, be it a novel, a movie, a folk song or a hip hop song. Capture my attention, and I will return that interest. I find that I now listen to music for a reason. My love of exercise has been well documented in this space, and I never workout without music playing loudly either on my computer speakers, or on my ipod touch. Different genres serve the motivational purpose, but my tastes often differ with my mood. When I want to relax, I gravitate towards folk, or my new interest, country. I like a good R & B album, if I am in a reflective mood. Heart rate raising music could be electronica, standard pop music, or my reliable rap music. Rock albums get played too, but I am having a hard time pinning down what mood they best serve. It really depends. My music collection is huge, it really is big. I know everyone says that, but between my numerous computers and hard drives, I probably have upwards of ~5,000 albums. Not all are good, but through my meticulous research and sampling I have found some absolute gems that I never would have heard otherwise. God bless the internet, bit torrent, mininova, pirate bay, metacritic, and most of all, my favorite website currently, wikipedia. I've decided that I will provide a few videos below, giving my current favorite artists in each genre that I can think of. This won't be forced, rather it will demonstrate my wide variety of tastes. Perhaps I can help you find something new to listen to.
After compiling the list below I have a few observations.
-Yes, I have listened to the albums from every one of these artists. These are my current favorites in each genre, not necessarily my favorites ever. I have listened to all of these album at least once in the last month.
-I can hardly believe it myself, but currently my favorite album is by The Steeldrivers "Hammer Down". I had not listened to any bluegrass whatsoever until 2012. To round out my top 5, Hot Chip "The Warning", fat boy slim "The Greatest Hits", Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans "Cabin Fever", and fun. "Some Nights". That is 1 electronica album, 1 country, 1 pop, 1 house and 1 bluegrass album. Perfect.
-Some of these albums are current, some most definitely are not. I often will get stuck on an album for years, not even realizing that the artists has released new material since. On occasion I can't find the new stuff, but usually I just don't realize it has been released. Over the last number of months I have been more diligent about keeping up with new releases.
-I love to try new genres that I haven't explored previously. One of the albums on the list below is India.Arie's "Testimony Volume 2: Love and Politics" that she released in 2009. I have been listening to it fairly regularly since then. I haven't found many other artists in her soul genre that I have liked, but for whatever reason her album never gets old.
-This list has a small amount of Canadian content. For my international readers, the Canadians are as follows: Neil Young, Corb Lund, Dan Mangan, Tegan and Sara, Yukon Blonde, and Big Wreck's lead singer Ian Thornley. Don't be afraid to give them a go, as a nation we aren't half bad at this music thing.
- In less than 3 weeks Sheila and I are going to see Corb Lund in concert. I am very excited, as it has been a few years since my last concert. My love for music has really grown in the last year, so my concert quota will likely rise. Money is an issue, one that held me back from grabbing tickets to this week's Motley Crue concert with Big Wreck opening. I have had some strong feelings of regret in the last few days over deciding to skip it, and am considering buying last minute tickets. The choice comes down to replacing my worn out bicycle, or attending the concert with Sheila. I'll let you know how that turns out.
-When the idea to compile this list came to me, I figured it would take some work. Well, it most definitely did. I had a lot of fun with it though, and a couple of tough calls in genres which resulted in two videos being posted.
These are my current favorites in each genre, from A to Z.
Alternative My Bloody Valentine
Americana Neil Young and Crazyhorse
Bluegrass - The Steeldrivers
Blues - Ry Cooder
Country - Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans
Dancehall - Elephant Man
Dubstep - Skrillex
Electronica - (a) Hot Chip (b) Pepe Deluxe
Folk - (a) Laura Marling (b) Jeff Bridges
Gypsy - Hawk and a Hacksaw
Hip Hop - (a) Rizzle Kicks (b) Kendrick Lamar
House - Fat Boy Slim
Indie Folk - Dan Mangan
Indie Rock - (a) Tegan and Sara (b) Yukon Blonde
Metal - Motley Crue
Pop - fun.
Punk - Propagandhi
Rap - (a) Hopsin and SwizZz (b) Glasses Malone
Rap Rock - Hollywood Undead
Reggae - Matisyahu
R & B - Frank Ocean
Rock - Big Wreck
Ska - Cas Haley
Soul - India.Arie
Sunday, 14 April 2013
My Week In Pictures
I'm in a really weird place this morning. On one hand, I am really beginning to feel like a real blogger. Having now posted more then 60 times since the start of 2012, and managing to post at least weekly since 2013 began I now regularly begin to think of ideas to write about as my free mornings approach. Sunday and Monday are usually my writing days because I have significant time to myself in the morning on those days. Today, while I am excited to share a few stories about what my family and I have been up to, I don't feel an overwhelming desire to actually type out the content. In fact, I am not sure there is much to type up, and that is why I've decided to do something a little different. I'm going to share some pictures and provide some commentary with each one. Let's see how this goes.
The other night, the guys pictured above played their last game of the season. That's my brother Ian on the left, and me on the right. We had a decent season really. We moved up to a tougher division, and while the scoring and puck possession time was down, it felt like we were solid contributors to our team. The team was able to have a solid season, winning as often as we lost. The season was capped off by beating one of the better teams (we finished 5th out of 8 for the regular season) and qualifying for the semi-finals against the best team. The game started poorly for us and never did get any better. We ended up losing 6-1. That's that.
As I have already covered to the point of annoyance in this space, I have gotten myself pretty wound up about running this spring. It's something I seem to do almost every year, but this year I am taking it to another level. I have never had myself in this kind of shape, and I want to take advantage of it. I'm signed up for a 10 KM (6.2 miles for my American readers) running race exactly 7 weeks from today. While I'm not flush with cash I decided the benefits of having a new pair of running shoes made a purchase necessary. After researching extensively, I settled on the Saucony Kinvara, and to save a few bucks I went with last years model. I bought them Tuesday and put them to use that night. I ran in a driving rain but all I could think about was the comfort my feet were enjoying. No knee pain, no shin splints, no pain at all. They seem to be designed in a way that gets me away from a heavy heel strike towards a more ball of the foot focus. More stride feels more springy and I really like it. It was week 1 of the 8 week program I am doing to get ready for the race. I ran a 3 mile run Tuesday, then a faster paced 2.5 mile run on Thursday and I am already feeling the love for my new shoes.
Nearly 50 years before she met George W. Bush and recieved the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to American Literature, the woman pictured above wrote an engaging, thought provoking novel. Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a great read that I finally got around to completing. It is funny how that works. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to read it until a friend by chance offered me a copy. As soon I finished the book I was reading at the time I jumped into Harper Lee's work. She put together an amazing book, focussed on what seems to be my favorite novel subject, black rights, segregation in the United States and what that entails. The main character and narrator of the novel Scout Finch is on the best characters I've come across in a novel. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I always feel the need to get to know the author of the work I am reading. Being that she was one of Truman Capote's best friends, and I have enjoyed everything he wrote I figured I might enjoy Harper Lee's work. Harper Lee had this classic published in 1961 at the age of 35. She is now 86 and in deteriorating health. In the 51 years since her novel was published, she wrote nothing but a handful of short papers. When asked why she never wrote again she said: "Two reasons: one, I wouldn't go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again." What a great woman.
I don't watch a lot of golf these days. In my teens I was an avid golfer, and for $200 a season I got an entire summer's worth of fun out of my course membership. I always enjoyed playing more than watching, but there is a handful of tournaments that I still make a point of watching, namely the Major tournaments, specifically the Masters. I've been relatively busy this weekend, but I will be watching golf this morning while I work. While there are a number of guys in contention to win, my favourite story of the tournament is the golfer above. Yes, the boy in the yellow shirt who could pass for 10 or 11 is playing the Masters golf tournament. He is actually 14, which makes him the youngest person ever to compete at the Masters, the second youngest golfer ever to play a Major. Amazingly, he didn't just show up, but was competitive. He managed to overcome harassment from rules officials about his slow pace of play, even absorbing a one stroke penalty for it, to qualify for weekend play. Dozens of other golfers were sent home after the second round including numerous former champions of the event and other major tournaments. I was excited at 14 to golf a round of 85 on an easy local course. An intriguing story that will have me watching today.
Sheila and I settled in and enjoyed a couple of movies this week. I am always on the lookout for comedy movies as it seems we have seen a lot of them, and there is a limited number of good ones produced every year. My research has been focused on older movies, often ones that were before our time. The movie we watched Wednesday wasn't old, but it was one I had not heard of. "Black Dynamite" was the result of incredible creative vision from Michael Jai White. He wrote the movie after being inspired by blaxploitation films that rose to prominence in the 1970s. He plays the title character himself, and incorporates his martial arts background into the role. As a begin my rambling, gushing diatribe about this flick, I will put this out there, I flat out loved this movie. Creativity oozes from every scene, Black Dynamite comes off as a bad ass hip hop Robin Hood type with witty lines and funny slap stick scenarios thrown in. Black Dynamite's brother gets killed, and he spends the movie trying to avenge his death. At the same time, I works to rid his hood of a new drug that has taken hold of the youth. While he is so slick that he manages to both avenge his brother and take back his neighbourhood at the same time, I found myself laughing a number of times at the subtle understatedness of the whole premise. Watch this film, find it any way you can, and sit back and enjoy. You are welcome.
It took us a couple nights due to extreme fatigue Thursday on my part, but Sheila and I also enjoyed this classic Steve Martin film. The Jerk was blatant in its use of stereotypes, the storyline is that Steve Martin's character, after being raised by a black family in the deep south goes out into the world not realizing that he is in fact white. Hilarity insues as his ignorance and naivety get him into all sorts of scrapes. My favorite may have been his attempt to halt a group of criminals who come to his gas station to fill up. He attempts to apprehend them, but in the end he tears a church in half. While not as awesome as Black Dynamite, Sheila and I both still enjoyed this one.
I really left this one for last because I wanted to appear modest. Consider the above content, movies, running shoes, sports, and books as filler to get to this one. You see these two above? Asher Felix, now 27 months old, and Jasmine Rose just a week past her 10th birthday are darn cool. This photo was taken by their Auntie Larissa, and I quite like it. She watched them for a couple hours a few weeks ago, and Asher managed to get all sorts of treats and snacks out of her. As you can see, he doesn't have just one sucker, but a whole bag of them. Jasmine absolutely loves her little brother. She looks out for him, and spends a lot of time entertaining him. I appreciate how patient she is while giving her time to him. It's hard not to love the little guy. In general she is a great girl, who is quickly growing into a young woman as scary as that is for Dad.
This week, Jasmine did a number of things that made me proud to call her my daughter. On Tuesday, after coming home from school, we had decided to go for a walk. Asher in his stroller, and me ready to go, she came running out of the house with garbage bags in hand. We have taken a number of walks since the weather as started to warm, and during these walks we have discussed the litter problem in our neighbourhood. Jasmine had mentioned a few times that she would like to pick up garbage so that we could enjoy our walks without seeing so much trash. Also, she wanted to protect the animals around from getting sick or choking to death on the various things people had tossed on the ground. She started with gusto, and as my pride swelled I joined in. Before long, we were filling our bags, finding bottles and cans to help her get rich, and having a great time. I was already getting emotional about how cool it was that she had taken this initiative, but when Asher started joining in it was almost too much. He was riding along in his stroller, stopping constantly so I could grab trash. He started to help out by spotting litter and calling out to us so we wouldn't miss it. "Wawa!!!! Look at dis! Right dere!!" Pointing and smiling the whole time. We filled out bags twice, then tossed them in a dumpster at the daycare around the way from our house. Jasmine made plans to finish the rest of our walking loop next time. "We need bigger bags Dad!" I couldn't have been more proud.
Jasmine is nearing the end of grade 4 and lately has been faced with a grim reality of getting older. Homework. She has had occasional assignments to complete at home, but lately she has had to tackle school work more regularly at home. Her teacher retired shortly after Christmas and she has a newer teacher, who assigns more work to do at home. I like it. It's going to help build a work ethic for school that Jasmine doesn't currently have. She enjoys school, and she does reasonably well. It seems to come relatively easy to her, but she doesn't handle adversity very well. Anything tough leads to her giving up and getting frustrated. Well, she got a doozy of an assignment on Wednesday. She started on the 3 assigned pages of math work with her mom, but Sheila admittedly isn't very good at the subject. I took over, and soon realized that Jasmine was struggling in large part because she seemed to have no knowledge whatsoever of the material. I enquired about this, and we concluded that her teacher had gone over the material, but she had paid little attention. While battling frustration, both of us worked for nearly 3 hours. Staying up well past her bedtime, Jasmine struggled. I explained the same concept to her dozens of times. We would complete a question, move on to the next one that was in the exact same format as the previous one. I would have to explain it to her again, as if she had never seen anything like it before. She managed to complete 2 of the 3 assigned pages before nearly falling asleep with the books on her lap. Jasmine got a good nights sleep, and while she was willing to go to school without finishing the third page, I encouraged her to open the books back up at 730. She breezed through the last page in 15 minutes without help. I double checked the answers, and gave her a big hug. Proud Dad again!
While I drone on about my amazing girl, I must conclude with another big one. Jasmine has also registered for the YMCA race on June 2nd and she is busy getting ready. Her race is called "The Healthy Kids Marathon". The idea is that she will complete 41 km of exercise, either walking or running before June 2nd. On that day, all the kids registered will run 3 laps of the track at Masich Place to complete their marathon. At my urging, Jasmine has embraced the idea. In the first 2 weeks she has recorded 9 km of walking distance, not including a few shorter walks to and from school. On Thursday, after some coercing from me, we set out for our first jog. I mapped out a 2 km route for us, wanting to see what she was capable of. We started out, I gave her a few pointers on running style and pacing and things were going well. A number of times I was able to motivate her to keep going, as thoughts of quitting creeped up on her. She did stop for a brief few seconds once, but started up again. She was a little annoyed with me for getting her to finish and tiring her out so much. Within hours she was bragging to her mom about it, and was happy with what she had accomplished. We plan to jog together more often as we prepare for June 2nd. Asher found it hilarious to have Jasmine jogging beside him, he enjoys his runs with me, but it seemed to be even more fun to have his sister along. As proud as I am now, I can't wait to watch her run the race with all the other kids. Hopefully, the future runs are a little easier on her and we can chat and visit while we get our exercise.
I could continue on about how great Jasmine is but I am going to call it her. If she happens to read this her head will swell, but I don't want to risk permanent damage. Sheila and Jasmine are off to the Mariannas Trench concert tonight, and both of them are at home bouncing up and down with anticipation. A fitting way to end a great week for Jas, full of accomplishments that had her Dad beaming with pride. I hope everyone has a great week!
The other night, the guys pictured above played their last game of the season. That's my brother Ian on the left, and me on the right. We had a decent season really. We moved up to a tougher division, and while the scoring and puck possession time was down, it felt like we were solid contributors to our team. The team was able to have a solid season, winning as often as we lost. The season was capped off by beating one of the better teams (we finished 5th out of 8 for the regular season) and qualifying for the semi-finals against the best team. The game started poorly for us and never did get any better. We ended up losing 6-1. That's that.
Nearly 50 years before she met George W. Bush and recieved the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to American Literature, the woman pictured above wrote an engaging, thought provoking novel. Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a great read that I finally got around to completing. It is funny how that works. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to read it until a friend by chance offered me a copy. As soon I finished the book I was reading at the time I jumped into Harper Lee's work. She put together an amazing book, focussed on what seems to be my favorite novel subject, black rights, segregation in the United States and what that entails. The main character and narrator of the novel Scout Finch is on the best characters I've come across in a novel. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I always feel the need to get to know the author of the work I am reading. Being that she was one of Truman Capote's best friends, and I have enjoyed everything he wrote I figured I might enjoy Harper Lee's work. Harper Lee had this classic published in 1961 at the age of 35. She is now 86 and in deteriorating health. In the 51 years since her novel was published, she wrote nothing but a handful of short papers. When asked why she never wrote again she said: "Two reasons: one, I wouldn't go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again." What a great woman.
I don't watch a lot of golf these days. In my teens I was an avid golfer, and for $200 a season I got an entire summer's worth of fun out of my course membership. I always enjoyed playing more than watching, but there is a handful of tournaments that I still make a point of watching, namely the Major tournaments, specifically the Masters. I've been relatively busy this weekend, but I will be watching golf this morning while I work. While there are a number of guys in contention to win, my favourite story of the tournament is the golfer above. Yes, the boy in the yellow shirt who could pass for 10 or 11 is playing the Masters golf tournament. He is actually 14, which makes him the youngest person ever to compete at the Masters, the second youngest golfer ever to play a Major. Amazingly, he didn't just show up, but was competitive. He managed to overcome harassment from rules officials about his slow pace of play, even absorbing a one stroke penalty for it, to qualify for weekend play. Dozens of other golfers were sent home after the second round including numerous former champions of the event and other major tournaments. I was excited at 14 to golf a round of 85 on an easy local course. An intriguing story that will have me watching today.
Sheila and I settled in and enjoyed a couple of movies this week. I am always on the lookout for comedy movies as it seems we have seen a lot of them, and there is a limited number of good ones produced every year. My research has been focused on older movies, often ones that were before our time. The movie we watched Wednesday wasn't old, but it was one I had not heard of. "Black Dynamite" was the result of incredible creative vision from Michael Jai White. He wrote the movie after being inspired by blaxploitation films that rose to prominence in the 1970s. He plays the title character himself, and incorporates his martial arts background into the role. As a begin my rambling, gushing diatribe about this flick, I will put this out there, I flat out loved this movie. Creativity oozes from every scene, Black Dynamite comes off as a bad ass hip hop Robin Hood type with witty lines and funny slap stick scenarios thrown in. Black Dynamite's brother gets killed, and he spends the movie trying to avenge his death. At the same time, I works to rid his hood of a new drug that has taken hold of the youth. While he is so slick that he manages to both avenge his brother and take back his neighbourhood at the same time, I found myself laughing a number of times at the subtle understatedness of the whole premise. Watch this film, find it any way you can, and sit back and enjoy. You are welcome.
It took us a couple nights due to extreme fatigue Thursday on my part, but Sheila and I also enjoyed this classic Steve Martin film. The Jerk was blatant in its use of stereotypes, the storyline is that Steve Martin's character, after being raised by a black family in the deep south goes out into the world not realizing that he is in fact white. Hilarity insues as his ignorance and naivety get him into all sorts of scrapes. My favorite may have been his attempt to halt a group of criminals who come to his gas station to fill up. He attempts to apprehend them, but in the end he tears a church in half. While not as awesome as Black Dynamite, Sheila and I both still enjoyed this one.
I really left this one for last because I wanted to appear modest. Consider the above content, movies, running shoes, sports, and books as filler to get to this one. You see these two above? Asher Felix, now 27 months old, and Jasmine Rose just a week past her 10th birthday are darn cool. This photo was taken by their Auntie Larissa, and I quite like it. She watched them for a couple hours a few weeks ago, and Asher managed to get all sorts of treats and snacks out of her. As you can see, he doesn't have just one sucker, but a whole bag of them. Jasmine absolutely loves her little brother. She looks out for him, and spends a lot of time entertaining him. I appreciate how patient she is while giving her time to him. It's hard not to love the little guy. In general she is a great girl, who is quickly growing into a young woman as scary as that is for Dad.
This week, Jasmine did a number of things that made me proud to call her my daughter. On Tuesday, after coming home from school, we had decided to go for a walk. Asher in his stroller, and me ready to go, she came running out of the house with garbage bags in hand. We have taken a number of walks since the weather as started to warm, and during these walks we have discussed the litter problem in our neighbourhood. Jasmine had mentioned a few times that she would like to pick up garbage so that we could enjoy our walks without seeing so much trash. Also, she wanted to protect the animals around from getting sick or choking to death on the various things people had tossed on the ground. She started with gusto, and as my pride swelled I joined in. Before long, we were filling our bags, finding bottles and cans to help her get rich, and having a great time. I was already getting emotional about how cool it was that she had taken this initiative, but when Asher started joining in it was almost too much. He was riding along in his stroller, stopping constantly so I could grab trash. He started to help out by spotting litter and calling out to us so we wouldn't miss it. "Wawa!!!! Look at dis! Right dere!!" Pointing and smiling the whole time. We filled out bags twice, then tossed them in a dumpster at the daycare around the way from our house. Jasmine made plans to finish the rest of our walking loop next time. "We need bigger bags Dad!" I couldn't have been more proud.
Jasmine is nearing the end of grade 4 and lately has been faced with a grim reality of getting older. Homework. She has had occasional assignments to complete at home, but lately she has had to tackle school work more regularly at home. Her teacher retired shortly after Christmas and she has a newer teacher, who assigns more work to do at home. I like it. It's going to help build a work ethic for school that Jasmine doesn't currently have. She enjoys school, and she does reasonably well. It seems to come relatively easy to her, but she doesn't handle adversity very well. Anything tough leads to her giving up and getting frustrated. Well, she got a doozy of an assignment on Wednesday. She started on the 3 assigned pages of math work with her mom, but Sheila admittedly isn't very good at the subject. I took over, and soon realized that Jasmine was struggling in large part because she seemed to have no knowledge whatsoever of the material. I enquired about this, and we concluded that her teacher had gone over the material, but she had paid little attention. While battling frustration, both of us worked for nearly 3 hours. Staying up well past her bedtime, Jasmine struggled. I explained the same concept to her dozens of times. We would complete a question, move on to the next one that was in the exact same format as the previous one. I would have to explain it to her again, as if she had never seen anything like it before. She managed to complete 2 of the 3 assigned pages before nearly falling asleep with the books on her lap. Jasmine got a good nights sleep, and while she was willing to go to school without finishing the third page, I encouraged her to open the books back up at 730. She breezed through the last page in 15 minutes without help. I double checked the answers, and gave her a big hug. Proud Dad again!
While I drone on about my amazing girl, I must conclude with another big one. Jasmine has also registered for the YMCA race on June 2nd and she is busy getting ready. Her race is called "The Healthy Kids Marathon". The idea is that she will complete 41 km of exercise, either walking or running before June 2nd. On that day, all the kids registered will run 3 laps of the track at Masich Place to complete their marathon. At my urging, Jasmine has embraced the idea. In the first 2 weeks she has recorded 9 km of walking distance, not including a few shorter walks to and from school. On Thursday, after some coercing from me, we set out for our first jog. I mapped out a 2 km route for us, wanting to see what she was capable of. We started out, I gave her a few pointers on running style and pacing and things were going well. A number of times I was able to motivate her to keep going, as thoughts of quitting creeped up on her. She did stop for a brief few seconds once, but started up again. She was a little annoyed with me for getting her to finish and tiring her out so much. Within hours she was bragging to her mom about it, and was happy with what she had accomplished. We plan to jog together more often as we prepare for June 2nd. Asher found it hilarious to have Jasmine jogging beside him, he enjoys his runs with me, but it seemed to be even more fun to have his sister along. As proud as I am now, I can't wait to watch her run the race with all the other kids. Hopefully, the future runs are a little easier on her and we can chat and visit while we get our exercise.
I could continue on about how great Jasmine is but I am going to call it her. If she happens to read this her head will swell, but I don't want to risk permanent damage. Sheila and Jasmine are off to the Mariannas Trench concert tonight, and both of them are at home bouncing up and down with anticipation. A fitting way to end a great week for Jas, full of accomplishments that had her Dad beaming with pride. I hope everyone has a great week!
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