Monday, February 28, 2011
Once upon a tweet
I joined Twitter a long time ago. I stayed with it long enough to post 245 tweets (mostly inane stuff, and a significant amount aimed at - or replies to - a couple of people), with the most recent one being on May 2, 2010. From May 12, 2010, until today, 25 Twitter users have signed up to follow me. Why?! Is it based on past tweets that struck a chord with them? Did a past tweet have synergy with a product they're selling? The thing is, more than 50 million tweets are posted every single day (source), so surely there must be something more recent and relevant than anything I ever posted that could help my newest followers. Maybe the new followers simply liked my background - a wallpapered image of my dogs. Okay, but they'd first have to be on my page, and what would have brought them there? My ten-month-old declaration that green grapes are delicious?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Valentine's Day 2011
Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Biscotti and I had an enjoyable, low-key evening. Our children spent time with their maternal grandparents as the two of us went for dinner just the two of us, which is a rare event. We usually have either the kids or other friends/family with us, or both. After dinner we picked up the monkeys, took them home, tucked them in bed, then watched last night's How I Met Your Mother before firing up some first-season episodes of Glee. We watched all 3 episodes from disc 3 while heavy rain and thunder and lightning occurred outside. At 1 a.m. it was time to hit the sack.
My alarm was set for 7:45 this morning, allowing me time to get up and leave the house for a run before 8:25. I finally stood up at 8:07, and was putting on my running underpants when I realized it was garbage and recycling day, which meant putting our junk curbside by 7 a.m. - oops! I sped things up and was carrying the recycling to the curb as the truck was two houses from reaching us - phew! The garbage truck always comes a couple of hours later, so that was fine. The run was a Bellini-and-ribs heavy one, and there were many broken branches and a few downed trees cluttering the trails (oh right, that storm the night before), but I still managed to keep my time-to-distance ratio (also known as my pace, I guess) respectable.
My alarm was set for 7:45 this morning, allowing me time to get up and leave the house for a run before 8:25. I finally stood up at 8:07, and was putting on my running underpants when I realized it was garbage and recycling day, which meant putting our junk curbside by 7 a.m. - oops! I sped things up and was carrying the recycling to the curb as the truck was two houses from reaching us - phew! The garbage truck always comes a couple of hours later, so that was fine. The run was a Bellini-and-ribs heavy one, and there were many broken branches and a few downed trees cluttering the trails (oh right, that storm the night before), but I still managed to keep my time-to-distance ratio (also known as my pace, I guess) respectable.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
The shooting of John T. Williams by Seattle police officer Ian Birk
On August 30, 2010, a man from British Columbia was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer. 50-year-old John T. Williams "was a member of the Ditidaht First Nation, also a member nation of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth. The Ditidaht First Nation is a small, remote community on the west coast of Vancouver Island" (source). The police officer was Ian Birk. Here is Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt on the same day of the shooting:
A video taken from inside Birk's patrol car was released on December 17, 2010. Here it is (Williams appears at 0:51 and the audio begins at 1:03):
The two videos and their discrepancies speak for themselves, but I'll add that Williams was hearing impaired.
A video taken from inside Birk's patrol car was released on December 17, 2010. Here it is (Williams appears at 0:51 and the audio begins at 1:03):
The two videos and their discrepancies speak for themselves, but I'll add that Williams was hearing impaired.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Marathon Quest 250 is over
Do you remember this post about the Albertan who planned to run 250 marathons in 2010 with hopes of raising $250,000 for Right to Play? Well, he did run number 250 on New Year's Eve, but fell a little short of his money goal. I am in awe of his accomplishment.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
No, really, it's small
When I first started running regularly, I was slow and unconfident. Okay, I wasn't that slow, but I was unconfident. On the trails in Pacific Spirit Park, whenever I was gaining on another runner I would slow my pace. I knew that at any time my body could reach its limit and say, "it's stopping time", and I didn't want that to happen right after passing a runner. "Hey! Look at me! You so slow and me so fast! Look at me pass you with ease! Wheeeeee! Oh, my bad. After you..."
This continued after our move and as I began running the local trails. Now though, my endurance has picked up considerably, along with my confidence, and I now have no qualms about gaining on and passing other runners. Let them look at my small ass as it gets even smaller off in the distance.
Small ass?, you ask. Yes, I answer.
Having said all that, today was an exercise in perseverance. I haven't run much lately because I've been working more than usual and the weather's been lousy and in the past week I've been fighting a battle against illness (which is now at a standstill at sorethroat hill). My pace today was sooooo slow. Fortunately it was midday on a weekday and just three days before Christmas day, so the trails were nearly vacant 'cept for me and the doggies. So, yeah, I've been feeling like crap, but keeping up the regular running would do me a world of good, so make sure I keep it up, okay? Thanks.
This continued after our move and as I began running the local trails. Now though, my endurance has picked up considerably, along with my confidence, and I now have no qualms about gaining on and passing other runners. Let them look at my small ass as it gets even smaller off in the distance.
Small ass?, you ask. Yes, I answer.
Having said all that, today was an exercise in perseverance. I haven't run much lately because I've been working more than usual and the weather's been lousy and in the past week I've been fighting a battle against illness (which is now at a standstill at sorethroat hill). My pace today was sooooo slow. Fortunately it was midday on a weekday and just three days before Christmas day, so the trails were nearly vacant 'cept for me and the doggies. So, yeah, I've been feeling like crap, but keeping up the regular running would do me a world of good, so make sure I keep it up, okay? Thanks.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
To be fair (to me), it *has* started raining
Sleepy. Want to take the dogs for a snowy walk. Sleepy. Want to take the dogs for a snowy walk. Sleepy. Want to take the dogs for a snowy walk. Sleepy. Want to take the dogs for- zzzzzzzzzzz
It's so pretty and white outside, and it's mid-afternoon with plenty of daylight left, but working overnights this week has me in rest mode right now. A power nap is where it's at. The weather forecast is for rain and warmer temperatures, so after the final two overnights the snow will likely be all gone. Not cool.
It's so pretty and white outside, and it's mid-afternoon with plenty of daylight left, but working overnights this week has me in rest mode right now. A power nap is where it's at. The weather forecast is for rain and warmer temperatures, so after the final two overnights the snow will likely be all gone. Not cool.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
mailing it in
A good friend of mine celebrated her birthday last week (Happy Birthday, cexylizziepants!), and I procrastinated in getting a gift in the mail for her. She's currently living in another province, one that is home to two NHL teams. Her birthday was on Thursday, and I had assumed that a birthday parcel would take 2-3 days to get to her, so if I put it in the mail on Tuesday there was a chance it'd get to her right on her birthday. However, after getting the opinions of a few other people, I became a little nervous. One person said two weeks, another said about a week, and another said 4-5 business days. Ugh. At the post office on Tuesday I considered my options that were given by the worker and went with the cheapest option which she said had a chance of getting there by Friday. The gifts weren't time-sensitive, and it wouldn't be the first time in the history of the world that a birthday gift sent by mail arrived after the fact. Would it? Doubt it.
The shipment even came with a tracking number, which was exciting for me. Only the second time in my life I've had a chance to track something. Coincidentally, the first time was waiting for an online order to arrive - an online order that was a wedding gift earlier this year for this same birthday girl! My first check of the tracking number showed me that the parcel had arrived at the post office in Coquitlam. Um, right.... I was there for that. The next check showed that the parcel had arrived at the facility in Richmond! It was about to take flight! Before I could check again, on Thursday my birthday friend thanked me on MSN Messenger! At first I wasn't sure it had, based on her first comment. We had joked about us giving her a car - a blue car - as a gift, and in the parcel I included a small blue car toy from a collection of similar cars we had here. So when the first thing she wrote was 'thanks for the blue car', I wasn't sure if she had received the package or if she was pretending we actually got her a real blue car. Turns out the parcel had indeed arrived right on her birthday! Approximately 48 hours after I handed over the parcel to Canada Post in Coquitlam, it arrived in Calgary! (Alberta: home to the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.) I had tricked her into believing that we weren't getting her anything for her birthday, so its arrival was a surprise. Plus, she says that it was the only thing that arrived by mail that day - no bills, no nothing, just our birthday parcel. Cool.
Yesterday she told me a very cool story about the car (there were other parts to the parcel, I'm just not sharing), but I'd have to get her permission before I can tell it. If she gives permission, this post shall be edited soon to add her exact text from yesterday's chat.
It's now a day later and permission has been granted! Sort of. I can share regardless. My friend took a two-day weekend course right after the arrival of the birthday parcel. The course focused on psychic development and they were asked to bring a small item on Sundays. So BW took the blue car. All the items were put into a bag and each person chose one of the items randomly from the bag. Then each person gave a reading of the item they had chosen, with no knowledge of who brought the item. According to BW, the girl who did her reading said that the moment she started to read it, she got an image of a small boy, playing with the car.
Then,
The shipment even came with a tracking number, which was exciting for me. Only the second time in my life I've had a chance to track something. Coincidentally, the first time was waiting for an online order to arrive - an online order that was a wedding gift earlier this year for this same birthday girl! My first check of the tracking number showed me that the parcel had arrived at the post office in Coquitlam. Um, right.... I was there for that. The next check showed that the parcel had arrived at the facility in Richmond! It was about to take flight! Before I could check again, on Thursday my birthday friend thanked me on MSN Messenger! At first I wasn't sure it had, based on her first comment. We had joked about us giving her a car - a blue car - as a gift, and in the parcel I included a small blue car toy from a collection of similar cars we had here. So when the first thing she wrote was 'thanks for the blue car', I wasn't sure if she had received the package or if she was pretending we actually got her a real blue car. Turns out the parcel had indeed arrived right on her birthday! Approximately 48 hours after I handed over the parcel to Canada Post in Coquitlam, it arrived in Calgary! (Alberta: home to the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.) I had tricked her into believing that we weren't getting her anything for her birthday, so its arrival was a surprise. Plus, she says that it was the only thing that arrived by mail that day - no bills, no nothing, just our birthday parcel. Cool.
Yesterday she told me a very cool story about the car (there were other parts to the parcel, I'm just not sharing), but I'd have to get her permission before I can tell it. If she gives permission, this post shall be edited soon to add her exact text from yesterday's chat.
It's now a day later and permission has been granted! Sort of. I can share regardless. My friend took a two-day weekend course right after the arrival of the birthday parcel. The course focused on psychic development and they were asked to bring a small item on Sundays. So BW took the blue car. All the items were put into a bag and each person chose one of the items randomly from the bag. Then each person gave a reading of the item they had chosen, with no knowledge of who brought the item. According to BW, the girl who did her reading said that the moment she started to read it, she got an image of a small boy, playing with the car.
Then,
- she got the impression that it actually belongs to an older person, and it represents a car that they want
- and that it was a gift
- ok wait, she wrote down her impressions, so let me write them for u
- small boy....son, brother.... husband, father
- favorite color - blue, chosen for the color
- treasured favorite toy or treasured car owned by an older version of the small boy
- given to the person for safe keeping, and a strong loving relationship
- brings lots of joy to the beholder
- and she was so bang on about everything
- and she was so HAPPY, when she gave the reading
- because she could feel the energy from the car
- and when she found out it was mine, rushed over to give me a huge hug
- and whole class loved it
- i think mine was the best reading!
Saturday, October 09, 2010
a fine time up the Grind
I got home about 45 minutes ago after getting up bright and early for a jaunt up the Grouse Grind. I know what you're thinking: a jaunt? Really? Dictionary.com defines jaunt as "a short journey, esp. one taken for pleasure" - surely you don't find a rainy early-Saturday hike up a mountain pleasurable. And that's where you're wrong. I find it highly pleasurable and don't do it enough. Rain or no rain, I like hiking. It would've been nice to have had the dogs trekking along with me, but, alas, they are not allowed on that trail.
After meeting my friend KB at the base of the trail just before 8 a.m., I pushed the buttons on my watch that make the numbers rise and up we went. However, KB was under the weather and that made for slow progress early on. We took a few breaks as he tried to fight through the queasiness, but just past the 1/4 mark, he decided that he better not risk anything more severe and opted to turn and return to the bottom. I was feeling pretty good, very good actually, and continued with the wet ascent. From that point on, I managed to summit without taking another break. I was feeling very, very good. So good, in fact, that I'm thinking of going for a one-hour run* with the dogs after publishing this post (which will be roughly two hours after reaching the Grind's peak).
Here's a brief summary of today's Grind time:
Of note, I was back in the car at 9:55 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. I was turning the car off in our driveway - pretty quick, eh? Especially considering I didn't have the carpool lane option on the highway. And now, I runnnn. C'mere doggies..
[* The run - one of my best in a long time - was actually completed in a time of 47:12. Today has been a very good day. Now to get stuff done at home with playoff baseball and regular-season hockey (including the Canucks' first game of the season!) playing on the television in the background.]
After meeting my friend KB at the base of the trail just before 8 a.m., I pushed the buttons on my watch that make the numbers rise and up we went. However, KB was under the weather and that made for slow progress early on. We took a few breaks as he tried to fight through the queasiness, but just past the 1/4 mark, he decided that he better not risk anything more severe and opted to turn and return to the bottom. I was feeling pretty good, very good actually, and continued with the wet ascent. From that point on, I managed to summit without taking another break. I was feeling very, very good. So good, in fact, that I'm thinking of going for a one-hour run* with the dogs after publishing this post (which will be roughly two hours after reaching the Grind's peak).
Here's a brief summary of today's Grind time:
45:00 - KB turns around a little past the 1/4 mark.I am pretty sure that the cost of the gondola ride down was $5 the last time I was there, and so was surprised to learn that the cost today was $10. If it wasn't for the rain I would've kept my money and hiked back down, but since I didn't want to risk a slip on wet wood, onto the gondola ten bucks lighter I went. On drier days it'll be hike up, hike down, fo' sho'.
53:00 - I pass the 2/4 mark.
1:07:00 - I pass the 3/4 mark.
1:18:00 - I summit.
Of note, I was back in the car at 9:55 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. I was turning the car off in our driveway - pretty quick, eh? Especially considering I didn't have the carpool lane option on the highway. And now, I runnnn. C'mere doggies..
[* The run - one of my best in a long time - was actually completed in a time of 47:12. Today has been a very good day. Now to get stuff done at home with playoff baseball and regular-season hockey (including the Canucks' first game of the season!) playing on the television in the background.]
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