We turned back at the bog

I celebrated this morning, in a quiet way. What's the occasion, you ask? I was in bed for 13.5 hours, and I was asleep for almost all of it. I haven't done that for many many years. The long swim yesterday and the hours of socializing must have really taken it out of me. The sleepless night yesterday didn't help.

After a quiet morning, my feet were feeling itchy for a run, but I didn't want to run on the bike path locally. Then I remembered the trails near the Glenmore reservoir that I ran with Sophia and Michelle a while ago. A brief text had Michelle all excited in a trail running way, and we met up near the sailing school. It was exactly what I was looking for.

We ducked off the bike path as soon as we could and ran along the water. It was perfect! Little ups and down over bits of hill, zig zags, tree roots to hop over, fallen tree branches to duck under, constantly varying pace. We weren't trying to run fast. We chatted happily about stuff, dodged a few other walkers, and enjoyed the beauty of the day. Sunny and warm, but not hot, running through different kinds of forest. Some of it is evergreen, some looks like aspen, birch, or larch.

It ended up being 7.5 K of fun and just over an hour. At one point we explored down a path heading north, and paused where it got boggy. We carried on a very little bit, then turned around when we saw this.

We didn't need to run through bog. We could of if we had to, I suppose, but it doesn't look like much fun. Well, I suppose it could be fun, for a while, till someone gets sucked under, or it comes time to get back into the car. Sometimes, life is like that. You have to run through the bog, and you try to get through it as best you can. Other times life is running along well marked trails, enjoying the scenery, waving or saying hi to the people you meet along the way.

After a long stretch session we settled in for the formal Thanksgiving dinner. Quail, spuds, veggies, with pumpkin spiced creme brulee ice cream. All so yummy! I'm sitting here with a cat purring on my lap, contemplating life. Yes, I know my typing posture on the laptop sucks, due to not wanting to disturb Curtis. How can I disturb this?

Life is good. Even if the long expected happens at work tomorrow, it's still good.

I love long long weekends

4 days off! I decided early Thursday I was going to take Friday off. It's been a stressful 6 weeks at work.

This has been a great weekend for meeting up with people, instead of being locked away in an office. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I was out for a nice run Thursday, 3K in 21 minutes, in great weather. Then another run run on Saturday, 5 K, 34:30, in great weather. This run felt really good. I was actually aiming for a 7:30 pace, nice and easy, but my legs didn't want to run that slow. They felt pretty light and strong for the whole run. Stretched after, lots. Should I mention BBQ rack of lamb?

Have you noticed the great weather so far? It has been, with an awesome sunrise and sunset. Here's just a few shots. Gotta love Alberta clouds at dawn and dusk.

Sunday was a long planned mega-swim with buddies. A few years ago I tried to swim 10 K, and made it to 7. You can read about it here. I'm pretty sure the changes to my stroke are what is causing the shoulder issues, so I'm going to dial back the distance for a little while, but try to maintain pace.

The idea today was to go 2 hours. (My shoulders twinge just thinking about it, even now.) My first couple K were nice. Slow and trying to take it smooth and easy. For 3rd K I put on the fins, and did some kick and backstroke. In between each I took a sip of energy drink. Note to self, drinking anything, in a pool, with nose clips on, is very difficult. I took a break after 3 K, (1 hr almost exactly)then bravely headed off, aiming for 4. My arms fell off at 3.5. I did the last 500 m a combination of backstroke, and very slow front crawl. Then water ran to fill out the time till the swim club kicked us out of the lanes.

My one buddy swam 6 K, then water ran to get to 2 hours exactly. But she wasn't done. My other buddy exceeded her expectations, shattering her previous records for time and distance! What a champ.

We walked over to the Perk for a coffee and treats, along with a perfectly lovely chat. I love times like those. The bonus is to see a local, non-chain place doing really well. Every table was full, and there was a constant stream of people coming in. Eventually I'll try the chocolate cake the violates the  don't eat anything bigger than your head rule. It will probably provide dessert for several days.

Eventually we bailed out and got on with the rest of our day. My one buddy went back into Talisman to get onto the elliptical machine. I think she said something about 2 or 3 hours more but I wasn't sure.

Straight over to meet up other buddies for brunch. MORE lovely chat, catching up with them. Then over to see their new house. They just moved in and it's full of boxes. We were talking about it on the way home as I was trying to put my finger on what I didn't like about it. Then I realized the problem was it didn't look lived in yet. I've been friends with them since shortly after moving to Calgary, and their separate homes, then their various homes together have always had a strong sense of place, of identity. I've always liked visiting them.

In other news, Linda has gone through a huge big bag of soil, amending the garden beds. Her new plants are voracious, and the soil has dropped. It's been hard work for her, toting, digging, pulling, pushing. All good workout material, and the plants will be even more beautiful next year.

I really shouldn't read work emails at 4am, but I couldn't sleep. Some big wind gusts blew through with spatters of rain about 2:30 and I never really went back to sleep. That probably didn't help the swim.

Tomorrow is looking really nice. If it's not too windy I might head out for a bike ride, maybe even down Road to Nepal, if my legs are up for it.

Voted! Your turn. Time for a change.

Lots of good things happened today.

It started with cats purring in my lap, and coffee.

Then a wonderful chat with a buddy over more coffee.

More cats just now, as I'm writing.

I'm just back from voting. I couldn't wait to put an X beside someone else's name, other than Harper's. The pleasure was amazing. At least one of my readers gets the pleasure of reading Harper's name on the ballot, and voting for someone else. Maybe several readers, I'm not sure of the exact boundary for this riding.

But this is the key piece here, people. Vote. Get your ass out there and vote. A lady in a walker hobbled into a crowded polling station. Someone in a wheelchair was making their way into the parking lot. Lots of people there were leaning on canes. The grey brigade was out in force, and good for them. They got out and voted, and it might have taken a significant fraction of their resources today to do that. The volunteers said it was really busy at first, then steady all day. Good. We didn't have to wait long at all. The volunteers were wonderful.

What? You aren't voting? What's your excuse again? Say it louder. Uhuh. Yeah. You deserve a big kick in the ass. At the very least. Every vote is important. In the last provincial election one riding was tied. Exactly the same number of votes for two candidates. Don't tell me a vote doesn't matter.

You have 8 hours a day, for the next 3 days, plus several more hours today. Just go do it.

I firmly think it's time for a change. Harper has demeaned us. Demeaned Canada. This has been a disgusting election, with him trying every trick in the book to distract us from the real issues. They've cheated in the last 3 elections, with people going to jail over it. There's no reason to believe he won't do the same again. There's a reason the Organization for Security and Economic Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is sending election monitors.

The only solution is to vote against in such massive numbers that the cheating doesn't matter. We've done it before. Remember Mulroney? How we collectively gagged and voted them out of office in such droves there were only two Conservative MP's left? We can do it again.

Consider the thought processes of a man who thinks the long form census is an invasion of privacy, yet writes legislation that let's the police monitor all forms of communication between ordinary Canadians, without a warrant, and essentially without oversight.

Consider creating second class citizenship, reinstating the medieval punishment of banishment. When you realize that they can strip a person of citizenship for terrorism related activities, and the Harper government thinks that protesting a pipeline is a terrorist activity, and they've been complicit in sending Canadian citizens overseas for torture, you should wonder if you are next. If you are an immigrant, or the child of immigrants, this should concern you. Once the precedent has been set, it will be expanded. Terrorists this week, disagreeing with Harper next month. Lese Majeste as a crime has gone essentially dormant, but I can see Harper bringing it back.

There is no end of reasons to vote against the Conservatives. You can look them up yourself, but the easy, simple thing to remember; it's time for a change. Governments should change. A decade of anybody is enough, and a decade of Harper incompetence is more than enough. What makes it worse, is railing against the Liberals for various faults, omnibus bills being only one, and then doing the very same thing himself when in power.

Go vote. Many campaign teams will help you get to the polling booth. Make a party of it, get a bunch of buddies together, vote, then celebrate. It won't take very long, and you are not too busy. You aren't. Just do it. To paraphrase my buddy Beth, Shut Up And Vote.

I was trapped, and...

I tweeted. Relied on social media. I said,
"help. I am being held prisoner by cats and coffee. Can't go to work. Oh, help me. Please. I can't take it. Or bring another cup p&ty."

Well, nobody came to help me up, or even get me more coffee. If I hadn't had to get up and pee, I'd still be there. It was an effort, let me tell you. The cats saw no reason to let me up. Good think I wasn't waiting for someone to rescue me.

Since I was up, I went to work. Now I want to go to bed.

Still blooming

Fooled you! Not me, the garden! Even after some good frosts, and actual snow, there are still some flowers blooming. Even some Dahlia's are still hanging in there. Scroll down for the photos.

Swim Sunday was an act of vindication, I was right (within 45 seconds) and she dramatically over-estimated. But that's her story to tell. I putzed around, not working my shoulder too hard. Forcible cat cuddling took place later.

Swam again Monday, mainly because I wasn't in any hurry to get to work. I can't talk about it just yet. Yes, I'm still there. Nice swim though, 1 K in 18:30 exactly, nice and easy and relaxed. Well, except for one lap that was total shite. I pushed off the wall, and it's like my whole body forgot what it was there for.

These were all taken just after getting home today. Oct 5, in case you missed it.

She pushed the truck before breakfast

Not Linda, though she'd totally be up for it, if necessary, if I wasn't around to be put to work.

No, I have some tough friends. Some of them were out running a half marathon today. In the windy, rainy, snowy cold. It was just barely above zero. A crappy day for running, and I've been out in some crappy days, and know crappy when I see it. I had been considering signing up for this, and I'm glad I didn't.

But one buddy earned a PR! Yay! Several others buddies were out in their own inimitable way, running with friends, lighting up the course with a smile, and generally making the best of it. Michelle, Amy, and me stood, tinkled our cow bells, and waved. In the rainy snowy cold.

The idea was we would meet up, cheer, then go for breakfast. Amy forgot herself and ended up having to push her truck on the way to Michelle's. Not running out of gas, other issues. You know what they say about the shoe-maker's kids... The rest went according to plan. It's really nice to chat over a delicious breakfast, especially if you've "earned" it.

Here's the only race photo I got. Too many runners going by in a blur, figuring that the sooner they finished, the sooner they would be dry and warm again.

Calgary is lovely this time of year, when it isn't raining or snowing. Most of the trees go various shades of yellow and gold, which I quite like. But our tree is special, going reddish, though it looks orange. Reminds me a little of the brilliant colours of the maple trees in Ontario.

I got that photo just before a short ride up and around the reservoir. It might be the last day nice enough to get out for a bike ride this year, but you never know these things. The bike ride didn't need to be fast, so I was trying to spin out my legs, and work it going up hill. Which there are some good ones. The scenery was spectacular, so it's good I wasn't in a rush. I cruised along, dodging geezers, dogs, and admired the one mom working it up a hill, towing one of those kid carriers behind her. Just under 25 K, just under 1:10. It says average speed was 21.5 KPH, which is good, considering the speed limit is 20KPH, and only 10 in some places. By the time I got back it was starting to cloud over, and shortly later the wind was howling, bringing the afore mentioned rain and snow.

Bad, sad, and rad

Three photos.

You might have to zoom in, but look at the helmet. Michelle took this as we were driving home. He zoomed in and out of traffic, even did a wheelie at one point, but was really close to us most of the way home. That's why they say you don't beat the traffic, you aren't in the traffic, you ARE the traffic.

My old, sad office. I was in it about a year, and all but the last month was very good, but that last month tainted the whole thing. Lots of empty offices.

My new office. What's radical about it is that the last person in there set it up so they faced out to the corridor. I'm standing in the doorway. For most offices the desk would be facing the opposite way, with your back to the door. This means any corporate predator can sneak up on you unexpectedly, and leap on your unprotected back. It's larger than it looks; I used to split an office smaller than this one with another guy about my size. They even moved my whiteboard upstairs with me. All is well with the world, at least on the office front.

Swam on Thursday. Warmed up, then did some 100 m intervals, playing with my pace, seeing what my shoulders would think. I seem to be recovering from whatever it was, but they get tired quick. I think there's a couple specific muscles that are working harder now that I've tweaked my stroke, and they aren't used to it yet.