Sleeping cat snore-oneration

There was a thing or two accomplished around the house today, but it was more difficult than it needed to be. Why? Cause one, and Cause two, for your edification. His eyes are open but he's sound asleep, grunting and snoring.

She had her face buried in her paws, sound asleep, letting out little wheezes. 

Sleeping cats, especially snoring sleeping cats, emit waves to lull humans into snoozing themselves. Then of course, they are easy prey for lap capturing purposes. I have resisted, so far.

Even so, there was wine stuff today.

That's an Italian Nebbiolo and the attendant grape skins. I like to warm them up a bit before adding the yeast. The one below is a Portugese Cab Sauv being racked from the primary into a carboy.

I finally finished up two books I've had on the go for a while.

and

The first is a clear outline of what is not as right as it could be with the Canadian medical system. It only looks good in comparison to the American model. But compared to Australia and various European systems, it isn't so good. Where it was really interesting was the history of the program, and how what we are living with today, and the problems we face, are a direct outcome of the choices made not all that long ago.

One of the most important is that the founders, including Tommy Douglas himself, noted that everybody should pay something into the system for each use of it. It isn't free, and people should be reminded there is a cost. As it is now, most hospital and doctor related costs are invisible to the average user. I've often thought that every citizen should get a statement once a year showing their health care usage. It should note how much they cost the system, how much each member of their family cost the system, along with some numbers for comparison, such as the various averages for other people of your age.

Of course, there are many entirely legitimate reasons an individual's health care might be expensive, and a great many that are not. We do need to get better at providing alternative forms of care, such as various kinds of assisted living, and more targeted delivery of health information and services. But if people knew that x many thousands of dollars were spent on the various services, and their costs in particular are well above average, and there was a suggestion they might have to pay a percentage of the costs above the average after a review of their situation, maybe it might lead them to do something to reduce those costs.

LIKE GET OFF THEIR FAT ASSES AND GET INTO BETTER SHAPE!

The essential problem (and this is my opinion, not Simpson's) is that health care is an extremely valuable good, in economic terms. There can be nearly infinite demand for it. Why not ask for that second or third opinion? Why not get that new test, just to be sure? Why not get another round of medical imaging, just to see if anything has changed? Why not show up at emergency just in case?

However, there are a great many people lining up to take advantage of that supply, along with a limited number of people and facilities to provide the supply. As long as it's "free", people will continue to use as much of it as they can. That leads to the current system of triage by necessity, meaning wait times. The people with money try to buy themselves to the head of the line, and spend some of their money trying to bring in right wing solutions that make it easier to do that, at the cost of the people without money doing without basic care. Not a world I want to live in.

Still, this is one of the several topics that Canadians need to have a grown up conversation about. Good luck waiting for it to happen under Harper's watch.

The other is a very interesting look at history, over a fairly long term. Today's problems are not new and unique situations. They've happened over and over again. Same problems, same inadequate solutions, same dramatic ending, as in banks going bankrupt with depositors losing everything, empires falling, or many people dying of plague. Then we do it all over again. The similarities between The Roman Empire and the American Empire are striking, right down to the elites rewriting the tax code so they don't have to pay any. At least the Romans were smart enough not to get sucked into a land war in Afghanistan. With two superpowers in recent history being forced to withdrawal with bloody noses, you'd think America would know better. But no.

Bank failures and depressions. Most people know about the Great Depression of Dirty Thirties fame. However, there have been a constant stream of recessions and depressions and bank failures and busts in American history. All are from causes similar to what is happening now with the sub-prime mortgage mess. All are being resolved in similar ways (bankrupcy), except this time the greedy pigs got rewarded, and now want to do it again.

Income inequality has lead to riots and civil unrest time and time again throughout history. The times when America worked best was when incomes were only somewhat unequal. The lower class could become middle class, and the middle class could become wealthy. Now the very rich are changing the rules so that they get ever more of the pie and everybody else gets less. The 1% is a convenient number, but it's actually fewer than that. They can see the beginnings of civil unrest, but they don't care. They and their Republican lap dogs, and idiot Tea Party attack dogs, go on attacking solutions that will work, and continue to promote nostrums that will make the problems worse. They've already put up their slogan in big letters everywhere you care to look, if only you have eyes to see, "Fuck you Jack, I've got mine and I want more."

The only thing I didn't like about the book is the somewhat simplified language, and some of the jumps to relate various points. I believe them to be valid, but sometimes it's a bit hard to join the dots. But then, in some cases he's dealing with several thousand years of history. If you want every single dot joined and documented, you need to start reading Jared Diamond or professional historians.

In other news I was on the bike another 45 minutes today, pedaling a bit faster and a bit harder. Still working on trying to be smooth. Core and stretching after, using the ball. This is doing good stuff for my legs. They are relaxing and feeling much better now. Plankaday was mobility plank, not timed. Front, side, front other side, legs up, out, forward, and a few pushups.

Crappy freezing drizzle mixed with periodic snow. I'm sure glad we didn't have to go out today. Tomorrow's commute downtown isn't going to be any fun.

Markets, in the mood to shop and workout

You could be forgiven for thinking I was a bit cranky yesterday. That's ok. I wasn't, not really. I did have that glass of wine, and watched the new Sherlock, A Scandal in Belgravia, with the comments turned on. Usually in these the movie soundtrack is still audible, but it was all a bit muddied. Still interesting. This is my favourite episode of the six, and I can't wait for the next three. "Rat. Wedding. Bow." PBS, Fall 2013.

My old swim flip flops are really old, almost 30 years old. The soles will go forever, though they are starting to show wear. Actual wear, on flip flops only worn back and forth to the pool. The top fabric has been coming apart for a while now, leaving flecks of bright red plastic stuck to my feet. I just about had heart failure the first time I saw that. I saw these cool flip flops on sale at Tri It and had to have them.

We also wanted to check out some changes to the Crossroads market. Given the exact time we left home, we started at La Boulangerie. I had a crepe that was as light as air, filling, and very yummy. Crepes aren't even my favourite thing. Their food is wonderful. As we ate the place filled up, and up, and no surprise there. I mean, look at this:

Then it was off to Crossroads. Which is just off Blackfoot Trail, but it's not called the Blackfoot Market, and neither is the Calgary Farmer's Market, which is also just off Blackfoot. The actual Blackfoot market is well off Blackfoot and is outdoor only. It's called the Crossroads because it used to be next to the Crossroads Hotel on 16th Ave, which hotel is now called something else. 16th Ave is still 16th Ave, except where people call it the Trans Canada Highway.

I hope you're all still with me. Life in Calgary is complicated sometimes what with all the change. It's a happening kind of city. Back to the Crossroads. I've never liked it much. There is a chunk of it that is second hand sales that look like a seedy flea market. That's still there, seedy as ever. But the majority of it has been brightened up, with new vendor signs. This is really quite nice. The honey place is the best in the city, and the fruit and produce market is very good. Some of the food vendors are very good too. There are some wonderful smells walking through. Linda is a bigger fan of the market than I am, but she's been there lots more.

Then it was off to Try It. I was actually in the mood to shop, and buy, which is rarer than hen's teeth. Got the flip flops, some swim paddles, and some speed laces. Looked for run shorts, but all they had were a medium women's, and my butt is never going to fit into those. They looked nice though. They are expecting to get a lot of stuff in soon, as they sell off existing stock. As always, the staff are friendly and helpful.

Then to Calgary market for bison. The truck was a bit late, so we had to hang out a bit. Which is SOOO painful to do there. I got a smoothie with peanut butter, banana, a hint of chocolate, and maybe some other stuff. Tres yummy. Linda had a mango smoothie, which I don't normally care for, but it was really good. These were from the smoothie place at the far south end. The bison eventually arrived.

I love hanging out at that market. I'm not sure why, but the vibe is perfect for me. Everything we've ever bought there has been good, at the very least. Regular readers will know I rave about Yum Bakery, Olson's High Country Bison, Big D's, both coffee places, Simple Simon Pies, the fish place, Chokolat, Knifewear, the Cherry Pit, and several others that I know where they are and what they sell, but can't recall their names at the moment.

Back home I lounged around being lazy, watching video on the iPad. Then playing with Trello to start organizing the front yard work that needs to be done. Needs very badly to be done, and has needed for a little while.

The little cards can be sorted, filtered, searched, and moved around into different lists. Tap them, and on the back you can get further description, a checklist, and attached documents. You can tell from the little icons what's on the back. I don't need the functionality, but you can use it to collaborate with other people. You can create your own work flow lists, but To Do, Doing, and Done are the default. Kind of fun to play with.

After a while I got up the ambition to get on my bike, and had a pretty good ride. Nice warm up, then pedaling moderately strongly, at a good cadence. No squeaks or complaints from my legs. They felt fairly strong and smooth. The only thing they didn't like was standing up, and even that's not nearly as bad as it was. On the bike a bit over 45 minutes.

Then onto the mat to roll my calf especially on the ball, and other parts of my legs. Core, including plankaday for 95 seconds. A pretty good day, even if it is kind of foggy and freezing drizzle out.

Back to Olson's. You might be wondering why I linked that, and not the others. The others are good, don't get me wrong. One of the reasons we like shopping at the farmer's markets is the quality of the products. End of story. The food tastes better. Bison and lamb is pretty well the only red meat we eat now, and Olson's is where the bison come from. Here's a link to nutrition info about bison, which is one reason why we're eating it, rather than beef. Bison burger is $20 per Kg, or just over $9 per pound for those that still think in an archaic system. Maybe some people think that is expensive.

Go ahead, buy cheap meat that has been shot up with antibiotics, growth hormones, and fed who knows what, slaughtered by the thousand with chancy sanitation, and eat that. Feed it to your kids. Try not to think about the XL beef recall last year, the largest in Canadian history. Try not to think about the Harper government cutting back on funding for food inspection. The next recall could be bigger, or arrive too late for your child.

As long as people continue to make their buying decisions based on price and nothing else, our system will continue a race to the bottom. The winner will be the producers who can best cut corners and shave costs. That means lead and cadmium in toys for children. Poisonous products in pet food and powdered milk. All to save a few cents. When they go pointing the finger to find fault, one of the little fingers points at you, the consumer who shops at Walmart because it's cheap.

Capitalism was about the mix of cost and quality. The theory is that consumers will be offered a mix of products at varying prices and quality. Some will prefer lower prices and lower quality. Others will prefer higher prices and quality. The two are linked. But everybody wants a bargain now, and expect everything to be on sale, or at a lower price than last year. Then they wonder why products don't last very long.

Then they wonder why their children and pets are getting sick. It's directly related to what you feed them.

Get it together people. I'm happy to pay the people that produce good food. I want them to stay in business so I can eat good healthy food. The only way that will happen is to buy from them. So I'm happy to see busy farmer's markets, and try to encourage people to shop there.

Here's a list of the local markets. Some are seasonal and outdoors. Try them out and see which you like best, and support the people growing real food. Look for you at the market one day!

But I don't have to work out twice, anymore

Into the pool really early this morning. Up at 4:30 since I was awake anyways after not sleeping well. About 5:20 I was in the water. You notice I didn't mention coffee there? That's because I didn't. Maybe that's why it was a pretty unfeeling swim. No water feel. No feeling fast. No feeling smooth. Even the water run after was clunky.

So now it's about 7pm, and I'm dragging my tail. It turned out Linda could pick me up from work so I was home earlier than usual. I could have worked out. But I didn't. I'm not training for a race, and I'm tired. I don't want to get on my bike. I don't want to go stretch. I don't want to thrash through a workout. I don't, and I won't. I'm going to have a glass of wine, and go enjoy a DVD. Not sure which yet, but I will.

This weekend will be about planning the front yard stuff. It needs work. Maybe I'll post the before pictures tomorrow or Sunday. All of you will feel better about your yards. Guaranteed.

Deeply saddened, and happy too

I found out Roger Ebert died today. As I said here, Isaac Asimov and EB White are the writers I'd like to most write like, but Roger comes pretty darn close. I never saw him on TV, ever, I only knew him through his writing. He was fortunate enough to be able to watch a movie, understand it well enough to describe how and where it succeeded or failed, and be able to write about it well enough for ordinary people to understand at least some of it too. Further, he had the happy knack of being able to express himself clearly, persuasively, and eloquently on many different topics. If I was going to read a movie review, I looked for his first. RIP Roger, it's a sad day for literate movie watchers.

The happy part involved this:

And this:

Before the second, I used the first almost brutally on my calves. The ball also was deeply involved with thighs and butt. My legs are happier for it, so I am too. There were other stretches and core work involved too.

And then plankaday! 90 seconds! Yay me.

Part of trying new things is understanding that they might not work out. As I've said many times, I have nearly perfect blood, and the Canadian Blood Services people are anxious that I donate. A little while ago I found out they will send the Life Bus to an employer, pick up employees and take them to the permanent donation site, and back after. This is all very well, and I can see how it works for some people.

But not for me. The first problem is the same one as any group activity. You are at the mercy of the slowest person. The bus driver was being examined, and drove so carefully, so slowly, so driver's ed, that I think I could have walked there faster. The nurse asking the embarrassing questions was also being audited, and so she went through every step in the book, painfully. I was seriously thinking of showing them my donor card. It has a huge 50 on it, for the number of times I've donated. I get the procedure. Let's get on with. It took 2 hours from beginning to end. I'm a contract worker. Say it with me. Billable hours. I can go next door to Gulf Canada mobile clinic, and be gone from my desk only an hour. That's an easy decision.

The wine kit I started is still burbling away, and will probably be ready to be racked into a carboy Friday. Then I'll start another kit, maybe the Brunello. I don't want to run out.

I've decided it's time to replace the flip flops, so I'll head to Tri It on Saturday. There was a picture of these really cool ones on Facebook that I have to have. I briefly considered going tonight, but that means taking two long sides of a triangle in ghastly traffic, instead of the short side with moderate traffic like normal. Again, an easy decision.

Maybe I'll buy a bathing suit while I'm there. Hmmm. Maybe I'll even be adventurous in my choice. Anyone want to meet up there, and go for coffee at Lazy Loaf and Kettle after?

Pain in a getting better sort of way

The rolling and pummeling has gone into high gear. I actually took some asprin last night before bed. The water running Monday, and more today. Some interesting clicks in my hips and knees.

All this has my legs feeling a bit better, in a fragile, painful sort of way. They are waking up a bit. I'll go a few steps without my heel hurting, then doing everything exactly the same, it gives me a sharp twinge. Stairs are a bit of a challenge.

Swam today, about 30 minutes again, which is when my stroke fell apart. I was doing an easy back stroke to the other end to meet up with Katie. Then, just like a coach, she shouted, 50 m all out! Bottom of the clock. GO! 44 seconds. Then water ran and chatted for a long wonderful time. Probably an hour or so.

Out exploring at lunchtime and found a new +15. If you start in the new 8th Ave Place, the one that looks like a Goa'uld with taste decorated it, and head east, you can get into the building next to that blue parkade, and then into the RBC building, and then Banker's Hall.

Plankaday, front on hands (alternating legs up, and out to the side) side plank (leg up), front on elbows, other side, but no leg up. That's the fragile side.

Glad sad run

It's so nice here! Even at 5pm it was warm, though it was beginning to cloud over. I'm a sucker for running when it's nice, so I hustled to be outside.

The glad part was running when it's so nice. Lots of people out walking around.

The sad part was my right heel. Major crankiness! Right from the start I was limping on that leg. My left knee is a bit sore, but not as bad as it was. Lots of improvement there. There was about 100 m that was good, after warmup, and before tired kicked in. I cut the run short as my heel and achilles was starting to hurt. Stretched and rolled after, then iced. Still hurts. I think I'm going to have to go back to MacDonald for some ART and Graston, but I'm afraid he's going to want to work on my back. I can't take that.

Plank a day, 75 seconds. My thinking is go for time every other day. The off days go for variations, side, and lifting legs.

Discovered Trello, thanks to my coworker WA. It's really slick project management tools for essentially all platforms. I've just started playing with it, using it to plan the yard work this year. Yes, it needs planning. Lots to do. Oh boy. I just hope my elderly neighbour doesn't keel over from the excitement. His lawn is immaculate. He's already raked and thatched it, and has mowed it twice. Twice. There are entire summers where I've mowed the lawn twice. I'm sure he looks at our lawn and flower boxes, and feels deep despair. I will post before, after, and maybe during photos. Especially if there is blood involved, can't miss that, and the odds are good. There are all sorts of metal shards on the lawn from the roofing project over the winter.

Starting a day with Katie

Normally blog titles aren't a big deal for me. I have a bunch pending, when the time is right. But none of them work tonight, for whatever reason.

Earlier on twitter and facebook I posted a link to a news story from Zite. John Baird was embarrassed in Amman Jordan by simple questions from the reports there. I loved it! I can just picture this partisan blowhard being punctured by people that have no reason to kowtow to him. There are several very excellent questions, most of which we should be asking ourselves. The last one especially. Baird doesn't have an answer because it's true. To our shame. We need to do something about that. History suggests there is typically one way to get rid of tyrants. I'd like to think we can do better.

The day started with a dose of Katie! That's always a good way to start a day.  I had about a half hour of swimming done when I noticed her water running, then it occurred to me that water running would be good for my cranky legs. They're feeling better, but still cranky. The water run was good. Chatting with Katie was better yet. She leads an exciting life. Rose joined us for happy chat.

Did a bit of stretching at home, including a plank. Really needed to work on my legs more, but there is tax paperwork. Sigh. Then a dance class. This is kind of fun, trying to remember steps we last did years ago.