Zen

The sky is absolutely beautiful today; a luminescent blue canvas, imaginatively frosted with swaths of the purest white.

The air is clear, cool and still; the sun smiles brightly and beckons me outside. Oh, for a long weekend of riding and running down long ribbons of asphalt, inhaling the sweetness of wild grass and other flora, feeling the shimmer of the river from afar.

Paris' jail cell was more than half the size of my old apartment

Criminal Paris Hilton emerged from her 2.4m x 3.6m( 7.87' x 11.81' = 92.94 sq ft) prison cell recently, and bemoaned her case in the media.

Now as tragic as that is, even more tragic is the realization that her prison cell was about the same size as my old apartment, minus the bathroom and closet area (that would be the main living area, about 115 square ft out of a total of 175). Remember also that she didn't need kitchen facilities, nor did she need a bookshelf, clothes storage, or a road bike. In essence, she had MORE useful space. Solitary confinement, then, is much like living like a bachelor in a bachelor.

Of course, she didn't have two giant windows....and I NEVER ate "mystery meat" sandwiches. Pays to obey the law, huh Paris?

Ogling hot guys leads to weight loss

At least if you're an iguana. This CBC article states that the female marine iguanas burned energy just keeping away from the overly-enthusiastic males. It goes on to say "Long periods of sitting up and watching prospective mates also sapped the energy levels of the females."

Seems to me these concerns apply to human females as well. We'd do better to conserve energy for more important tasks, like providing ourselves with shelter, bringing home food, and keeping away from predators.

You can run, but you can't hide

I just have to mention this... my sports-minded uncle - father to my accomplished athlete cousin - was surfing the internet recently and just happened to do a search for me on Sportstats.

Yes, I've already promised to keep him posted with my events but purposefully neglected to email him after the Riverkeeper's horrific plodding. It was an event I'd rather just forget about; or well, chalk it up to experience! (I did enjoy the banana afterwards, so all was not lost).

And he writes an email with some encouragement that I SORELY (no pun intended) need right now:

"Just want you to know we're proud of you sweetie & keeping track of you (you can't escape). This internet can locate anyone, at any time - fantastic! Keep me in the loop. [...] Let me know when your first Tri is ok? If you forget in your busy life, I'll still find you. Enjoy!!!"

Oh man, sometimes my family is just the greatest.

Carrot Loaf

My famous double carrot loaves... just wait'll they get "iced" with Philly Lite! Delicious, if I may say so myself!

Pizza in my New Kitchen

I made three deep-dish vegetable pizzas today, completely from scratch. While it was my first foray into the wonderful wide world of yeast, the outcome wasn't half bad. Next time I will cook the crust for "crustiness" for a few minutes before adding the toppings, but I wouldn't change much else.

Yeah, it took over 2 hours to make all this (toppings of broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese over a whole-wheat crust) but still delicious, and absurdly healthy. I won't do a cost analysis, but the cheese alone did cost $4.50... I'm hoping to get a total of 6 meals out of it. Plus I got to spend some quality time with my new kitchen.

I just read in the June/July Walrus an opinion about the egocentricity of self-publication; a.ka. blogging: the unedited tripe that proliferates on the web and infuses its inferior slang into the English vocabulary both on- and off-line. It was truly a lament over the degradation of culture, language and gentility.

Well I don't want to quit... even if this really is auto-therapy in its most atrocious 21st-century incarnation. However, I do feel the slightest pang of guilt at indulging in an activity that is now so commonplace as to be vulgar.

Let us Vulgarians Unite!

Miserable Du makes me see Green

Here's some miscellany for you, my neglected readership:

1. Loblaw's (a regular-sized, commonplace grocer - not the Superstore location!) now sells Enviro-friendly cleaning supplies! I was shocked to enter my familiar Rideau St. haunt and see an expanded Organics section with Green cleaners and other products. Prices were higher than their traditional counterparts, but only by about 20-30% (granted, I was in a hurry and only gave a cursory glance). Hopefully I can give a better report later.

2. I completed the Ottawa Riverkeeper Duathlon (Int'l Distance) on Saturday morning, and what misery that was! I was tired before I even got to the start line, juiced-out legs and fresh from a post-marathon foot injury. I didn't expect to do well, because I couldn't afford to taper at all, but this was ridiculous.. even embarassing. Luckily the photos don't really sow how slow I was going or how terrible I was feeling! About halfway through the 2nd bike loop I realized that my only goal would be to get to the finish line alive and able to ride back home... Unfortunately some people weren't so lucky, and I saw an ambulance pick a runner up on my way back from the last run loop. Regardless, either I'm terribly unfit, horribly slow, or just had a really, REALLY bad day.

<-- "Dammit, where's the Finish Line?!"






3. I've also developed insomnia (whether or not from attempting 5am workouts I don't know) and, aside from having beer more often at night, am at a loss to remedy this. Earplugs & blindfolds help but little above the roar of the fans, the glare of the streetlights, and the incessant yelping of the occupant of the apartment above mine... who seems to be constantly breaking up with her boyfriend or screaming at her mother, after which episodes she can be heard angrily stomping across the hardwood floor. Oh the joys of tenancy.

Macho Cycling

Yesterday was a great day for a leg-busting, neck-killing, shoulder-hurting, foot-swelling endurance ride, with the exception of a high UV index… the imminent danger of which was hidden by cloud cover. While I did remember to throw some sunblock in my jersey pocket (along with a near arsenal of emergency preparedness items), I was deceived by the lack of direct sunlight and threat of rainstorms, and never remembered to actually apply the goopy stuff.

My 5.5-hour adventure began somewhat accidentally. In fact, I had barely passed the 10k mark (Meadowlands Dr) when I debated turning around and subbing my ride for a swim … nature’s call so early in the game presented a problem for me – riding solo – and I am loathe to leave my bike even for a minute while making use of public facilities.

However I soon decided that turning back would waste too much good-weather time, presenting another discouraging hour of city riding and stoplights. Summoning up all my courage, I continued southward to Manotick, knowing that I’d need to problem-solve when the time arose. Today would be the day that I defined myself as a real cyclist! No measly bathroom break would get in the way of a good ride. If the guys could handle it, then so could I…

Well I made it to Manotick, eyes peeled for a convenient pit stop. I tried in vain to recall whether Cedarview S was less built-up, debated over taking Malakoff, and ended up just spinning on toward Kars. I slowed to check out every conservation or park area by the highway. A crazy notion came into my head, to wait until Kemptville and go down the nature trail there. I thought about hopping the barbed wire fence that stretched along both sides of the road indeterminately, and then realized I could easily puncture a tire by doing that.

I continued on, hoping for some more tree cover (a few less houses perhaps?) until I saw a small grassy swath leading away from the road, and no houses in sight. A few meters away, a semi-wooded area beckoned. While the mosquitoes were terrible, there was no poison ivy so all went well. Why do guys have it so easy?

Ok so, after that I was feeling a bit macho and reckless, so I thought I’d go to Kemptville after all… never mind that my longest ride this season was 72 km, and my longest ride last season was barely 140km. My left foot, injured after the marathon, wasn’t hurting too much on the bike, so I felt invincible.

I continued to within 5km of Kemptville, then decided that I wanted to go exploring. So I turned off at the Kemptville/ Merrickville sign and headed toward Burritt’s Rapids. The road was quiet and smooth, and the scenery was peaceful. I was cruising easily at about 30kph and kept on until I hit the village central. It was beautiful… next time I’ll stop by the locks for a break.

Well I should have noticed the big tailwind that helped me get there, because now I was fighting a headwind on increasingly tired legs. My speed dropped quickly and my feet began to suffer. I stopped at Rideau provincial park to drink some Gatorade and take a short rest. The little kiosk was selling Coke and worms… nothing I could use! After that, being exhausted, facing the wind, and in some pain, I started counting down the kilometres. 50 to go… 40 to go… 30 to go… I stopped briefly in Manotick to take my shoes off and get some circulation into my throbbing feet. I pedalled on… I knew this was a dumb idea, to almost double my mileage in a single afternoon, while injured! I hit Hunt Club, and saw an OBC rider heading out… he nodded, but I was too exhausted to acknowledge him. Then a right on Meadowlands, and it’s Colonel By Drive – the homestretch! I was thinking about how great it would be to chug a litre of cold water , and was looking forward to standing on some ice packs.

Thankfully, I didn’t hit many red lights. My bike computer logged 133.6km, which was too long a ride for my current state of health! But I was happy to be home, and certainly relished the beef & lentil burritos, frozen yogurt and blackberries I feasted on later. I don’t think I’ll even feel bad about taking a rest day today…