Ed's Sk8toronto Website -Weblog 2004

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Weblog -January /2004

Jan 25/04

Now that I have finished reorganizing my website, I am starting this blog in memory of my Dad who died on Dec 5/03 at the age of 82. For about 35 years Dad kept a hand written journal at the cottage. For 17 years Dad and Mom lived at the cottage, a fairly remote location beside a lake. In this time, the journal entries were frequent -perhaps 3 per week on the average. Reading through the journals in the weeks since he died has given me some new insights into the remarkable man that he was. I see now that Dad used his journal in part to order his thoughts (to try and make some sense out of the complicated world around him). I view the journals as an important gift from Dad to any family member who cares to read them. Before he died, Dad decided to write an account of his experiences in and around D-Day. Here are a couple of quotes from his journal: June 6/2001 I spent some time today thinking about my "D"day experience, the days and weeks that led up to it and the days that followed. It was beyond question the central experience of my life. . . I think the time has come for me to record my recollections. . . It may finally be of some interest to my grand children and my great grand children should there be any. June 7/2002 After tossing around in our landing-craft all night under the guns of the battleships just off shore, we grounded at first light. The 1500 wt drove off into four feet of water and we landed soaking wet on the beach at first light. -My memory of 58 years ago today. Dad was born in 1921 and was supposed to enter Grade 13 in Sept/1939. Rather than do that, he joined the Canadian Army. After basic training, he was shipped off to England in Jan/1940. He did not get out of England or Scotland until D-Day (June/1944). He arrived back in Canada in the late summer of 1945 after spending 6 full years in the army.

After he died, there was some question in the family as to whether or not Dad had ever finished his account. When I turned on his computer this is what I found:
D-Day Remembered

Jan 26/04

I was reading an article about how difficult it will be for George Bush to carry through with his plan to send Americans back to the moon and then on to Mars. The cost is staggering. This is my prediction. . . Nothing much is going to happen in the near future because there is not going to be enough political support for the idea. However, China is soon going to put men (or women) into space. In a few years, when the Americans realize that the Chinese are going to go to the Moon (and stay there) it will set off a huge 21st century space race. I am not going to predict which nation will get to Mars first but I will put my money on China to be the next country to land people on the moon -and before the Americans go back too! Although there is really no good reason to do it, there is going to be a human being on Mars before my 80th birthday -Sept /32.

Of course, I remember well when the Americans landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren on the moon. I was 16 years old and I had just gotten my driver's license. I was at the cottage for the summer and my mother asked me to take the family car into Young's Point to get a new muffler. While I waited for the mechanic to do the work, I went into the adjoining restaurant and watched the liftoff. Since there was no TV at the cottage it was sort of accidental that I saw it and, of course, that is the very reason that I remember it now. Several days later, when they arrived at the moon the whole world was transfixed as the lunar module separated from the main ship and then made its way down to a safe landing on the moon. There was no video of any of this but NASA supplied the TV networks with an audio feed and the TV networks supplied additional commentary and animations. There were of course very poor quality pictures of the two astronauts jumping around on the moon and I got to see these at my friend Bob's cottage. The whole endeavor seemed pretty fantastic at the time and I think we know now, in light of the two shuttle tragedies, Apollo 13, and all the problems with landing probes on Mars, that the Americans were really lucky not to lose some men on one of those trips to the moon.

Jan 27/04

Toronto is getting its first really good winter storm of the season. As usual for a storm with wind, we are getting twice as much snow in our driveway as the weather people are saying we have had. Our driveway is a seven-foot wide brick and mortar canyon situated between two older Toronto homes. Clearing the snow out is a nightmare. I wish I could figure out how to get the snow to fall in my neighbour's backyard!

Over the years, I have perfected the use of one of those giant snow scoops -rather than using the traditional push-type shovels. Although you have to approach the job a little differently (in terms of where to pile the snow) it is amazing how much work these things save. I must have spent an hour outside and I don't think my heart rate got much over 100 beats per minute. That's because I didn't lift any snow at all. I only had to push the scoop full of snow to the top of the pile. It's pretty easy compared to lifting and throwing.

Jan 28/04

It is strange how snowstorms in inner city Toronto bring out both the best and the worst in people. People are always eager to help anyone who has managed to get their car stuck. I suppose because the only cost is a few minutes of their time. But what happens with respect to street parking situation is unbelievable. Even when there is no snow in the equation, people who must (or choose to) park on the street are often very possessive about what they feel to be "their" parking space. This is usually the space in front of their own house. Of course, anyone with a permit can park wherever they like but neighbours quickly learn where the "safe" spots are (where they will be able to park without antagonizing someone). In my neighbourhood things are pretty civilized because there is enough parking to go around. I am guessing that things get nasty in some places.

When you throw a big snowfall into the mix things change dramatically. Those who are willing and able to move a lot of snow have an initial advantage because they can get their "own" spots cleared. This clearing operation always comes at the expense of other potential parking spots on the street because the snow has to go somewhere. Decisions about where to put the snow are very often the source of heated debate or worse. Today I was chewed out twice by an old lady (who doesn't own a car) and yesterday I witnessed a similar incident. With fewer parking spots available their value rises dramatically. I have seen people put chairs in "their" spot to try and protect it from "parking spot thieves". Most people (my wife Kathy being a prime example) just seem to feel that if they put the effort into maintaining a parking spot that they have some sort of ownership rights. The whole thing reminds me of the way nations behave in order to protect their interests. It's a good thing that most homeowners (like my wife) don't have guns or nuclear weapons.

Jan 29/04

It has been exactly 6 months since I suffered from my herniated disc and it is time to assess where I am at on my road to recovery. I am told that if I want to be able to resume serious competition (inline skating) I will have to increase my "core strength" so that I will be able to keep my pelvis stable and avoid re-injuring my back. Because of Dad's illness and death in the fall, I have fallen behind my expected progress. However, I have been going to the gym regularly in the month of January and I am now beginning to feel that I am making some strength gains. I am not able to do one of the exercises that I was given because my shoulders won't take it but I think I have substituted wisely and should be OK for the muscle groups that were being targeted. I am still unsure why I don't have much abdominal stuff and I am thinking that I should perhaps go back to the clinic and find out. Maybe Jenna could tweak another exercise or two while I am there. I recently suffered a scary setback. As I was walking out of the gym I realized that I had a sore right hip. For me, this is the first indication that my disc is flaring up. The problems were these: First, did I do something to aggravate the disc or did I simply jam my hip? Second, in either case -what particular activity or exercise caused the problem? This is my guess. I predisposed myself to a problem by sanding a drywall patch on the ceiling of a bedroom that Kathy and I are painting. Rather than making sure that the sanding action had no impact on my lower back I exerted an upward force on the ceiling by pushing up with my arms and then I initiated the back and forth motion by twisting my trunk! Bad move Ed. Later, I went to the gym and finished the job by doing too many side lunges with too much weight. I believe that the disc did flare up. The good news is that a few days of rest put me back on the right path and there does not seem to be a lasting impact.

How will I measure the success of my recovery program? The first big test will be The National Capital Marathon in Ottawa on May 30. If I can train properly for the race and do about as well as last year I will be a very happy skater. It's 4 months until the race. Look for monthly updates.

Jan 30/04

I saw The Shipping News on DVD last weekend. It stars Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore among others. I haven't read the book but my guess is that it is a fair bit better than the film. The film is somewhat disjointed and I always had the feeling that there must be more to the story than I was getting to see.

Kevin Spacey plays a looser (the same sort of character that he played in American Beauty) who moves, with his young daughter, to his father's hometown -a fishing village in Newfoundland and proceeds to uncover his family's murky past. Julianne Moore plays the love interest with a murky past of her own. The Newfoundland setting is terrific and I really enjoyed the Newfie accents because I work with lots Newfies in the construction business. This movie rates pretty high on the artsy scale but it is still worth seeing. I'll give it 3 and a half out of 5.

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Weblog -February /2004

Feb 2/04

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Kathy and I saw this movie on Saturday night. Clearly, this is one of the best movies made in recent years. It is visually stunning and well acted. It will age well and will be enjoyed for generations. This movie benefits greatly from having the plot lines developed in the two previous films and as a result the action is almost non-stop. Those who have seen the first two films -or read the book will enjoy the movie more. This movie gets 5 out of 5. My mother told me that she didn't think she would like Lord of the Rings. If I had pressed her for the reason she would have said something like "because something like that could never really happen". Dad always used to say that my mother was very "literal minded" and that she often had difficulty with "the willful suspension of disbelief". I can accept that -except for the fact that she watches All My Children whenever she can. For me that is an even greater leap in the suspension of disbelief.

Feb3/04

I watched the Super Bowl with around 100 other construction types in a sort of wedding reception setting -but with a gigantic TV screen set up in place of the head table. There were drinks available, a nice meal (Prime rib). They had set up a sort of lottery system where you could pay $10 and be assigned some random numbers which would win you some money if your numbers matched the score the end of each quarter. The atmosphere was pretty boisterous without any women there to act as a calming influence. It was a pretty good way to enjoy the Super Bowl actually. Unfortunately, I missed the part where Justin Timberlake removed whatever had been covering Janet Jackson's right breast but there have been many, many opportunities to catch up on what I missed over the last couple of days. I guess that is the big problem right now for the news organizations in the States. Everyone wants to see the images over and over again but unless there is some huge controversy there is no excuse to show it. It seems to me that one "accidentally" bared breast is absolutely nothing compared to everything else that is going on the TV these days.

The American entertainment industry has come a long way. In the last 40 years, we have gone from Ward and June Cleaver sleeping in separate beds to soft-core porn available on Pay Per View. I read something recently about how porn really is moving into the mainstream. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 30 years. I want to see whether the religious right will switch their focus from the abortion issue to the profusion of sex in advertising and other forms of entertainment.

Feb6/04

Last night, I went with Kathy to be a member of the studio audience at a taping of Air Farce -the CBC -TV comedy show. They poked fun at the usual lot -Canadian and American political and entertainment figures for the most part. Janet Jackson was the hot topic of the evening. I had never been to the CBC building (which was certainly impressive) and have not been to anything similar since I was about 10 years old. Despite this, there were really no surprises in the way that the show was produced or the facilities at hand. I guess that in this day and age, most peole are pretty familiar with the process of making TV shows and movies.

Feb 8/04

The CBC has announced that, from now on, Don Cherry will be on a 7-second delay when he does his bit on Coaches Corner. I wouldn't want to be the guy who is supposed to push the button if he makes an offensive remark. He will be in a lot of trouble if he lets something slip and Cherry will be off the hook. I am wondering if, the first time Don Cherry gets bleeped, The CBC will carry it on the news and report exactly what it was that he said. I am sure that it is going to be pretty easy to find out what was bleeped by tuning into a sports radio station or checking on the Internet. I am also wondering whether Cherry will turn it into a little game to see how often he can get bleeped. ************************************************* I missed Coaches Corner last night because I was down at the University of Toronto Pool watching two of my daughters competing in the Ontario Universities Synchronized Swimming Championships. Amy won the Novice Solo category for McMaster. Lindsay's duet came second and her team (from Western) won -both in regular (advanced) competition. It was a good day.

As I watched the parade of beautiful young women down on the pool deck it occurred to me that synchronized swimming is a great sport to get your daughters into if you want to keep them away from the influence of boys for as long as possible. I suppose that a private girl's school would be taking things to the next level but the cost would be substantially more.

Feb 12/04

I went with Grant to write the exam for the home study safety course. When we got there, the examiner was nowhere to be seen but there were 3 guys all sitting at the same small table already writing the exam. Grant and I waited around for 10-15 minutes before the examiner showed up and gave us our test papers. We sat at separate tables. After perhaps half an hour, we handed in our papers and left. As we walked out to the truck, I wondered about the 3 poor schmucks that were still furiously going through all the reference materials they had brought with them. I wondered whether language was an issue or whether they were just unfamiliar with the examination process. I wondered whether there would be any "consequences" if they failed to pass the test and I wondered why they had not taken the classroom course. I will never know the answers to these questions and I will never know how those poor guys did on the test.

Feb 13/04

Today I went to view my next two jobs -both bridge rehabs (rehabilitations). On Wednesday I had a quick look at the drawings for both the jobs while I was killing time in the office. My pickup was in for repair at a nearby auto shop. The first stop was on Lake Shore Blvd about 100 meters west of Coxwell. Few people realize that there is a bridge there. It spans a culvert, which transports sewage from a facility on the north side of the Lake Shore to the main sewage treatment facility on the south side beside Ashbridges Bay. The repair work looks pretty straightforward. With traffic reduced to one lane in each direction, rush hours are going to be bad. I'll have to make sure that I tune into the traffic reports when we set up the detour. That may qualify as my 15 minutes of fame (a reference to Andy Warhol). The other site is on Martin Grove just north of Rathburn. Again the job is straightforward. It's another single span bridge -this time over a creek. There are some high voltage wires on one side of the road and a little pedestrian pathway under the bridge -just to complicate things. All in all, it's pretty routine.

The way that both jobs unfold will depend largely on what resources my boss is willing to commit to this work. I just do the best I can with what I am given.

Feb 14/04

Kathy often cooks a heart shaped chocolate cake on Valentines Day. Since there is only one small pan that is heart shaped, she makes some cake/muffins to use up the mix. Today I was watching the process and I offered the opinion that there seemed to be an awful lot of cake mix going into one small pan. I was told (curtly) that the cook has done this many times before and definitely knew what she was doing.

Well, you can imagine my complete surprise (shock and awe?) when a few minutes latter, I heard swearing and then smelled smoke. Somehow, the cake pan, which was not overfilled, had overflowed some of the contents onto the bottom of the oven where they were burning up. I was pretty good about the "I told you so" routine but I am sort of blowing it now by recording the events here. However, since Kathy doesn't read this blog I am still in the clear.

The rest of the meal was very tasty, and even the cake was rescued from near-disaster and eaten for dessert.

Feb 16/04 I decided to purchase a new pair of hiking boots because to old ones are too small and I always jam my toes against to front of the toe box when I am walking downhill. It seems that I have rid myself one pain only too acquire another. The new boots have given me a blister at the back of my right heel because of a very poorly placed seam in the boot lining. I have some ideas about how to fix things up but if they don't work then Mountain Equipment Coop will be honouring their guarantee and I will get a second new pair of boots. It's only a few weeks until we visit Las Vegas and I want my feet to be comfortable on those mountain treks.

**************************************************

I spent a large portion of the weekend at the Etobicoke Olympium watching Kaylee in a swim meet. She really has improved remarkably in her two years and 3 months of competitive swimming. It seems unlikely that she will be representing Canada at any international meets but she has fun with her friends on the team and she is certainly developing incredible skill in the water. Perhaps she will follow her big sisters into lifeguarding and swimming instruction as a summertime job.

Feb 18/04

I have noticed that when I go to the gym fresh from a day's rest I will very likely be able to do more work on the exercise machines. During my running stage I noticed the same thing. Results would be a little worse if I was on my second or third day straight. This makes sense to me.

What does not make sense is that this phenomenon does not hold true for inline skating. Even if I worked very hard the day before, I will likely perform better on the second or third day of skating without a rest. This phenomenon is even more pronounced if I am coming back after several days off. I wonder what the experts would tell me about this. My guess is that walking interferes with good use of the important skating muscles and to set yourself up for fast skating it is important to skate hard the day before so that your muscles are "tuned correctly". It would also follow that too much walking would be a bad thing. I am going to ask my daughter Lindsay about this. She is taking exercise physiology at university now. ************************************************** We received word that our little job for the TTC in the basement of the Park Hyatt is a go but will be delayed for around 4 months while another contractor finishes something. This is going to push the job into the busiest possible time and turn it from a job that would keep some key guys busy in the winter to one where we are scrambling to find anyone to work there. For me this is a disaster, for my boss -just a little bump on the road.

The good news is that I will have lots of time to plan things out and it looks like I will not be doing too much until April.

Feb 20/04

There is a secret force that drives the price of the US dollar (in comparison to the Canadian one) that currency speculators have not figured out yet. Whenever I decide to take a trip to the US the value of the Canadian dollar takes a dive.

The preparations for our little trip to Las Vegas are well under way. I have booked the plane tickets, the hotel, and a rental vehicle. I decided to get a big SUV because there is a hard core hike up to the top of Bridge Mountain that I am hoping to try. The trail guide says that the sensible way to do this hike is to use a 4-wheel drive to get as far up an old road as possible. Even with the driving it's still a 9-hour hike. Apparently, if you make it to the top, the view of Las Vegas and Lake Mead are awesome. The last time I planned to do this hike there was too much snow at the higher elevations and I had to substitute a different (desert) hike to an overlook way above the Colorado River.

I have been tuning up my blackjack skills by practicing (for free) at the website I mentioned below. Last night I took the $1000 bankroll that the game gives you and worked it up to $11,500 -before I quit at $7000. Somehow I doubt that things will work out that well on the trip.

Feb 22/04

We saw Whale Rider on digital cable. It won some big prizes in a couple of film festivals. It's about a Maori (New Zealand aboriginal) girl, just approaching puberty, whose mother carried twins and then died in childbirth along with her brother. She is raised by her grandparents because her father leaves. Her Grandfather, the chief, decides that he must have a contest (amongst the prepubescent boys) to find a new chief -since he has no grandsons. It is clear to see that the girl is the natural chief but this would be too much of a break with tradition for the old man to even consider. Tradition says that the first ancestor to arrive came riding on the back of a whale from a far away place and, as events unfold, the girl ends up riding out to sea on the back of a whale.

This is a fine movie. It rates high on the artsy scale but it doesn't go over the line. It gets a 4 out of 5.

Feb 24/04

If you know me then you know that I am not noted for my fashion consciousness. Read on.

When I pack workout clothes into my gym bag, I don't really think too much about colour coordination. Today as I walked down the long stairway from the upper level change-rooms into the gym (like Scarlet O'Hara descending toward Ret Butler) I realized that I was wearing black shorts, a black T-shirt, black running shoes, a black sweatband and brown socks. This is the second time that I have committed this fashion faux pas. Part of me wanted to say "I don't give a damn" but the fact is I did my routine trying my best to hide my ankles.

Feb 26/04 The Academy Awards are on Sunday night. I will watch for about 2 minutes. I just don't buy into the whole celebrity thing. This year I have actually seen one of the movies that is up for best picture (The Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King). I know 2 of the Best Actor candidates, 3 of the Actresses, one Supporting Actor, one Supporting Actress and two Directors. Of all the movies represented in those categories, I have seen two.

**************************************************

Kathy's birthday is on Saturday. She wanted a night table from Harvest House to use at the cottage. I drove up to highway #9 and #27 to pick one up -only to find that the cheapest one (in pine) cost more than $700 plus both taxes. Heck you can't even sit on the stupid thing. I couldn't buy it. To some degree, I envy people who could go into that place and make purchases without flinching. I must be nice.

In the end, I got her a very nice winter jacket (on sale) -but it was still very expensive. It's amazing how desperation makes the wallet slide out of the back pocket more easily.

Feb 28/04 All of Kathy's sisters, her parents and Paul came down to celebrate her 51st. Kathy put on an excellent prime rib dinner. Since I am no cook, my main contribution was in cleaning the house before and cleaning the dishes after. Kathy received some nice gifts including a wall clock made from a slice of a burl -by her dad. She was pleased with her new winter jacket.

I asked Kathy's dad if he had read the account of my dad's adventures in and around D-Day (see Jan 25/04) and that got him going on some of his own recollections. He had some close calls too. In one case he had just gotten out of the passenger seat of a truck when a shell went right through the back rest. The shell didn't explode but it surly would have killed him had he still been in the truck. He dragged the shell around as a souvenier for a long time but eventually left it behind. In anonther memorable incident he was all alone, beside a road, close to the front line. US Army General Patton came driving up with his entorage and asked Frank for information. Frank told him where the Canadian, British and American troops where and where the front line was. Patton thanked him and drove off. Frank agrees that he ought to write down his recollections of D-Day and other important moments in the war so I will remind him from time to time and see if anything happens.

I never thought I would see the day that I impressed Ethyl (my mother in law) and Kathy's sisters with a craft that I am doing. My friend Grant showed me how to make gigantic outdoor candleholders out of ice, using a five gallon pail as a form. The trick is to let the water freeze to the point where there is still liquid water in the center and then carefully break through the top, pour off the water and insert a little candle .


Feb 29/04

Monthly Inline Skating Update: -February has been a pretty good month at the gym. I have definitely made some strength gains and I am also able to do a bit more work on the cardio machines. However, it is getting very difficult motivating myself to get on and stay on the cardio machines. The sun is returning and the snow is melting and I am just dying to skate. In fact, I went out today for the first time in 4 months -for 40 minutes. My weight is down to 174 so I have done fairly well there.

For the past couple of weeks I have noticed something hopeful. Since I hurt my back I seemed to have gotten into a cycle of exercising for one or two days and then resting my sore back for another day or two. Now it seems that the exercise program doesn't have much effect on my back and, in fact, my back seems to have improved quite a bit. I hope that this continues. I hope that March will be a mixed month in terms of gym workouts and actual skating. The transition back onto skates will be much tougher this year because I decided not to do indoor (It would kill my back). Last March I skated outdoors 6 times. I hope the number will be closer to a dozen this year. Early in February, I went back to see Jenna (the exercise therapist at Sports Medicine Specialists -the clinic that diagnosed my herniated disc). Together, we assessed where I was at. We threw in a few new exercises and tossed out one or two. Jenna really thinks that I should maintain these exercises throughout the skating season. She also thinks that when I am skating I should do a much better warm-up, that I should pause periodically and stretch out my back and that I should stretch after my workout. These things would be a considerable change in my routine since I am used to jumping out of the truck in full stride, skating like hell for between 30 and 60 minutes and then jumping back into the truck as soon as my breathing rate is more or less normal.

Anyway, these things seem like good advice and I am going to incorporate them into my routine in the hope that they will help me avoid a reoccurrence of last year's problems.

Ed's Sk8toronto Website

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Weblog -March /2004

Mar 02/04
Today (Tuesday, March 02/04) I was confused about the date. My watch said that it was Tuesday, March 03. I must conclude that my watch doesn't "do" Feb 29 and that it took me 3 days to notice.

************************************************** I have finished reading Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. It is the first book in a trilogy called The Neanderthal Parallax. I am ashamed to admit that this is the first book I have read since the 5th one in the Harry Potter series. I am pretty sure that this book won both the Hugo and Nebula awards -big prizes in the field of science fiction. Robert J. Sawyer is a Canadian author who lives near Toronto and makes a living writing sci-fi. I have read several of his books and I always appreciate the fact that they are usually set in Canada or involve Canadian characters -this despite the fact that he is writing for a mostly American readership. Canadians are rewarded with a little bit extra out of Sawyer' books because only they get some of the references. Hominids puts forward the proposition that, in a parallel universe, Neanderthals survived and our kind of humans went extinct. In the Neanderthal world, the Neanderthals develop civilization and progress to roughly the same level that we have achieved. Then, a Neanderthal physicist experimenting with quantum computers accidentally transports himself into our parallel universe. Sawyer actually makes it seem quite possible. The Neanderthal, Ponter Bondit, creates a sensation in our world, learns to speak English with help from an implanted computer, learns some things about our world and shares information about his. Meanwhile, back in the Neanderthal universe. Ponter's workmate and best friend, Adikor is charged with murder (since Ponter has disappeared). This diversion delays Adikor from trying to recover Ponter from our world. The story goes back and forth in real time between the two parallel universes until the somewhat unsatisfying conclusion at the end. I think that most people who read the first book will probably finish the series (in order to find out what happens in the long run). I certainly intend to.

Hominids is a good read. I would recommend this book.


Mar 03/04
I thought I would make it through my whole working life without ever going on a "business trip" -but I was wrong. The "boss" decided to purchase a concrete screed machine from a manufacturer in the South Dakota. At the end of the month, I am going to go to the factory, (with Danny, the guy who has been chosen to operate the thing) to take a 3-day course on operation and maintenance. This will be an adventure although but it's too bad that the location isn't a little more exotic. We will fly into and stay in the city of Sioux Falls. I was looking at the city website. It's the biggest city in the state (although not the capital) and has a population of 135,000. The factory is in a tiny place called Canton about 20 miles south of town. They run a bus between the Radisson Hotel and the factory. We are sure to meet some real characters at this course.


Mar 04/04
A while back there was an article in the Toronto Star travel section about the best places to shop in Las Vegas. I wasn't sure whether to show it to Kathy -but I did. She read it with great interest. Now, I am really hoping that the weather will be hot and sunny so that Kathy will be more interested in working on her tan than shopping or gambling. Clearly, this would make for a cheaper holiday for me. Fortunately Kathy is even more of a cheapskate that I when it comes to leaving our hard-earned cheap (Canadian) dollars with the casino in the form of gambling losses.

It seems that my new hiking boots are going to be OK. I've gone on a couple of long walks without developing more blisters. I am really getting excited about the hike up Bridge Mountain that I have been trying to do for a few years. This year, I think that conditions are right. It is March (so there it is unlikely that there is still snow at the top and I have rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get us as far up the mountain as possible. That is what the guidebook says to do. Here is something else the guidebook says about the hike:
You will remember this hike for the rest of your life! With sheer drops of 1,000 feet and Las Vegas in the background, the view has to be seen to be believed. Hikers spend hours exploring the Natural Bridge and the Hidden Forest, and admiring the view from the peak. People have come from all over the country to do this hike -they're not disappointed.

**************************************************

Kaylee is on a trip to Mount St. Anne with her school so Kathy and I have been getting a taste of the "empty nest". It certainly has been peaceful around this place. I would be enjoying it more if I wasn't fighting a cold and sore throat.


Mar 07/04
We watched Seabiscuit on cable last night. It stars Toby Maguire and Jeff Bridges. It's another one of those underdog movies like Rocky, Billy Elliot and countless sports movies where a hockey or baseball team catches fire and wins it all. Seabiscuit is the tale (pun intended) of a down and out racehorse and an even more down and out jockey (Toby Maguire) who come together by circumstance and make it to the big time despite all the odds stacked up against them. Jeff Bridges plays the enlightened owner of Seabiscuit. This is a fun movie which holds your attention fairly well. It gets a 3.5 out of 5.

One more thing about this movie -I really enjoyed the horse racing scenes where the jockeys were doing all kinds of rotten things to each other (and each other's horses). It reminded me so much of inline skating -especially on the track where room is tight and even more especially of indoor racing. The dirty tactics were pretty well the same ones employed by inliners to get an advantage over a competitor.

**************************************************

I finally received the drawings and specifications for the two City of Toronto bridge jobs that I will be looking after. One starts on Apr 12th and the other on the 14th. That will give me lots of time to prepare for the jobs but may mean that some of the best labourers will find employment elsewhere. The quality of the crews certainly makes a huge difference in the ease with which the jobs get done.

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I have had a cold for several days. At first, I was just a bit stuffed up, had a sore throat and was lacking in energy. On Thursday night I actually felt ill. Friday wasn't too bad but on Saturday I got the sneezes and I knew that a runny nose was on the way. Last night was really rough and today has been a write-off. Now I am worried about two things. First, will I recover soon or will it turn into pneumonia (like I had 3 years ago), Second, can Kathy and Kaylee avoid picking it up? I would feel badly if anyone were sick on our trip.


Mar 10/04
I have now mostly recovered from a bad cold. I am still a bit stuffed up but my energy level is back to normal. I want to chronicle the sequence of events so I can check back here in a few years when I get another one.

At first, I was just a bit stuffed up, had a very sore throat and was lacking in energy. Then, over the next couple of days, my sore throat started to improve but I felt quite exhausted. Next up was a day of sneezing and this started off a runny nose and a couple of really rough nights. (Kathy ended up vacating our bedroom in favour of more suitable sleeping arrangements elsewhere in the house). As I was recovering, there was one day that I couldn't get enough to eat. It was strange. The whole thing lasted about 10 days. I plugged away at work but I was thankful that we are not that busy.


Mar 12/04
Again, there has been a national outcry over a violent incident in the NHL. This time it was a brutal sucker punch by Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore in a game in Vancouver.

It seems to me that this happens about once a season. I clearly remember incidents involving Daryl Sittler, Tie Domi, and Marti McSorley. Dad used to talk about an incident involving Eddie Shore back in the 50s (or even before). There was also the time that Rocket Richard was kicked out of the playoffs in the mid 1950s and it started a riot in Montreal.

You have to play the game to really understand why players want to use their fists and sticks to beat each other up. I consider myself to be a very even-tempered man -not at all prone to violence. But I will admit that I sometimes could not control my anger when playing hockey. That is one of the main reasons I decided to stop playing hockey as an adult. I hated the aggressiveness that it brought out in me. Fighting is (and should be -and always will be) part of the game of hockey. The problem is when things go beyond a mere fistfight.

This year all the big shots (GMs etc) got together to brainstorm about how to make the game faster, more exciting and so on. Quite a few good ideas came out of the exercise and I am sure that some will be adopted for next season -if there is one. If the NHL really cared about violence they would convene a similar meeting on that subject. I am sure that with all that brainpower in one place they could reduce the really barbaric stuff to a bare minimum.



Mar 14/04
A mid-month inline skating report is in order. Somehow I have managed to get out skating 7 times so far this year. I have taken to skating in Sunnybrook Park and conditions have been fantastic. For the past week I have been doing my normal route between the horse barns and the loop under the Overlea Bridge.

Yesterday the temperature was only 0 degrees but most of the time it has been a comfortable 4-5 degrees. This is the first spring in the last three that I have not been doing indoor skating over the winter. While there is a huge difference between indoor and outdoor skating technique it is still a big advantage to do all those winter workouts. But there is another side to the coin. If I was doing indoor skating I would certainly not be getting outside anywhere near as often as I have been. (Part of the problem is forever switching between indoor and outdoor wheels). In the end, I may not be much worse off than my friends who are doing indoor -but I am lucky that, so far, this has been a good spring for outdoor. The reason that I am not skating indoors is that I believe it would aggravate my herniated disc. All winter I have been hoping that I would be able to return to my former levels of fitness and competition without hurting myself again. I have to say that right now -things are looking good! Every spring I have difficulty skating for long in the crouched position that you have to assume for maximum speed. This year has been no different but I am making very good progress in my ability to stay low for longer periods. I think I would go so far as to say that my progress has been amazing under the circumstances. I can honestly say that my back is not bothering me any more than usual despite last summer’s injury. I have decided to take my skates with me to Las Vegas. I have done this in the past with mixed results but there is too much to loose by not taking them.

I managed to get to the gym only twice in the first half of March. I am relying on skating for the cardio so the gym workouts are just to keep up my core strength.


Mar 20/04
We are back from Las Vegas and we had a great trip with fabulous (record breaking) weather the whole time. This trip will likely be the topic of discussion for the next few days. In the five days that we were there, I managed to get out twice on my skates and did 3 hikes. We saw a terrific show, did well at the tables, ate way too much, got great tans and enjoyed a couple of successful shopping expeditions.

The trip down was a disaster. Judy arrived for supper on Sunday night and drove us to the airport. When we got there, the TV monitors indicated that the flight would depart on time but the information on the screen kept changing and, in the end, the plane left about an hour and a half late. Kathy, Kaylee and I were placed in seats with backs that didn't recline and way too close to one of the most obnoxious men I have experienced in recent years. By the time we picked up the rental vehicle and found our way to the hotel it was 2:30 AM Las Vegas time (5:30 for us). The Flamingo Hilton was out of rooms when we arrived but they put us into a suite that was the size of 3 normal rooms for the first night. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was on the 26th floor, and that because of an electrical problem there was no power in any of the rooms and the elevators were not working. Rather than walk up 26 flights of stairs in semi darkness, lugging our suitcases, we dragged our luggage and ourselves into a hotel restaurant and ate breakfast. I had the steak and egg special. We were way too tired to enjoy the meal. Mercifully, when we finished breakfast, the elevators were working so we found our room and went to bed for a few hours. Monday was a lie around the pool day for the 3 ladies (Kathy, Kaylee and Judy). I did a bit of that but also went out looking for smooth asphalt on my inlines and tried my luck at blackjack for a while. That was the night that we saw Mystere (more later). On Tuesday I took the 3 ladies on the first hike (more about the hiking later). On Wednesday, I did the Bridge Mountain hike solo while the girls went shopping. On Thursday, Kathy, Kaylee and I went to Arizona, by way of the Hoover Dam, and did the Arizona Hot Springs hike while Judy gamboled the day away. The last day was a combination of skating, shopping, gamboling, pool sitting and touring. The flight home, a "red eye", was fine.

In the casino we did pretty well. Kathy played much less than usual because she wanted to spend time with Kaylee but in the time she spent gamboling she managed to get up $65. I probably spent about 10 times as much time at the blackjack table and managed to only lose $125. This time the entertainment was cheap.

Mar 21/04
Today is our 23rd wedding aniversary. Kathy remarked that the weather is quite similar to the day we were married -quite cool.

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On our trip to Las Vegas, I spent more time hiking than I did sitting at a blackjack table. The first hike was a little one in Red Rock Canyon called Turtlehead Junior. I did this hike 5 years ago with some of the kids and a coach from Amy's gymnastics club (Carly, Suzie, Amy and Dave). I wanted to do this particular hike because the guidebook says that if you can handle this route then you will be able to do the much longer one called Bridge Mountain. Judy came along to see Red Rock Canyon and do the approach. From the parking lot on the scenic loop it only takes 15-20 minutes to walk up the wash to the base of the mountain. A wash is a dry streambed in the desert that fills up with rushing water during the occasional rainfall. Depending on the size and wetness, washes are mostly sand and gravel, boulders, rocky waterfalls of various sizes and some bushes and plants eking out a living. The sides range from little hills to solid rock walls going almost straight up for hundreds of feet. The book says that the elevation gain for the hike is 1100 feet. I would say that the first 100 feet is in the wash. Once we climbed out of the wash onto the sandstone arch that is Turtlehead Junior it was 1000 feet to the top. For anyone who has done much hiking in the Rocky Mountains around Banff walking and scrambling on sandstone instead of shale is pure pleasure. That's because the lack of loose or jagged rock ensures sure footing and almost guarantees that climbers in front will not dislodge anything that is likely to roll or fall onto you. The sandstone at the bottom of Turtlehead Junior is gently slopped for the first few hundred feet but as we got higher the route became steeper and soon we were climbing with our hands and feet rather than merely walking. Where the going was really steep we had to find chutes or cracks to climb. I had forgotten that Kathy was afraid of heights and we got to a place that required us to step over a rather steep drop. Kaylee was over it without even thinking but it was a bit too much for Kathy and we had to leave her there to regain her composure and contemplate the way down. This was the spot that Carly had some difficulty with a few years ago. Our hike/climb was starting to resemble a conquest of Mount Everest (where 20 people set out and 2 people make it to the top). I was the Sherpa guide because I was carrying the pack and had done the route before. Kaylee and I kept going and came to a section of Class III climbing. In Class III the pitch is steep, there are very few good footholds and you usually have to resort to counterforce to get up. Kaylee had a bit of trouble here but she did get up and down without any assistance from me. She's a good climber. The rest of the way to the top was a breeze. There was very little wind and the view of Las Vegas was pretty hazy. I tried to get a hero shot at the top of the "mountain" but I had trouble with the timer on the camera. We picked up Kathy at Camp II and aided her shaky-kneed decent as much as we could. Judy had abandoned our Base Camp and we found her back at the car. It was a great time -especially for Kaylee and me. BELOW
Judy took this picture of Kathy, Kaylee and me on the way back to town after the hike. That's Bridge Mountain on the left side. I climbed it from the back side the next day. The hikers
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I had to go solo on the second day of hiking because Kaylee had a better offer (shopping with mom). It is never wise to hike alone but I was desperate to get up Bridge Mountain because I have been planning the ascent for 5 years and have never had the chance to make the attempt. I decided to take the risk. Part of the fun of this hike is taking a 4-wheel drive vehicle as far up the Rocky Gap Road as one dares. I decided to pick up the Rocky Gap Road from the Lovell Canyon side because it is a shorter distance to the summit of the road. I figured that if I lost my nerve or the road was impassible I would have less distance to make up on foot. I found the Rocky Gap Road without much trouble and headed up in my rented Chevy Blazer. The road was really rough and there were a couple of washouts that narrowed the road to the point where it was almost too narrow to get through. At one point I got stuck in a pothole so deep that I was afraid I might be sitting on the undercarriage. I managed to get out and continued on for a short while where I met a woman with 3 dogs. She told me that the road got worse and I decided to hike from there. According to the book, it was only another mile to the trailhead at the summit of the road and this turned out to be correct. I had a good look at the road as I climbed to the trailhead and decided that I would have made it in the Blazer if I had been more persistent. I climbed the switchback trail through the junipers and up a ridge all the way to the top of North Peak. It took only 40 minutes from the trailhead and was probably a gain of around 800-900 feet. This was only a slight diversion from the goal of getting to the top of Bridge Mountain and was certainly worth the effort since North Peak is actually higher (7094 feet according to the book). From North Peak Bridge Mountain looks impossible to climb without ropes but I knew that this was not the case. The problem with climbing "Bridge" is that to get there you have to climb the better part of 1000 feet, then drop almost the same distance before climbing another 1000 feet or so. It was a little disheartening to loose all of this hard won elevation but it had to be done. Part way down to the saddle between "Bridge" and the North Peak the path turned from shale (covered by dirt) to sandstone. It was quite a relief. There was quite a bit of scrambling to be done on the way down to the saddle between the two mountains and although the saddle is fairly wide the sides are extremely steep and fall off roughly 1000 feet into deep canyons on either side. The route to the top of Bridge was a lot of Class II scrambling (hands and feet but nothing really tough). I lost the trail at one point and followed a false path for several minutes. Finally, more than half way up from the saddle I came upon the natural bridge. It was about 30 feet high and 40 feet wide and really quite spectacular. I took a couple of pictures but the light conditions were poor at that time of day. The route goes through the arch and on to the "hidden forest". It really is amazing to find perhaps 50 huge Ponderosa Pines growing at such a high elevation and surrounded on all sides by sandstone. It is clear that there is a depression in the sandstone that holds water. After thousands of years enough soil has built up that it can support the forest. I assume that Ponderosa Pines are adapted to go for long periods without water and probably have a very extensive route system that enables them to find moisture a long way from the tree. From the hidden forest it was an easy slog to the top. It was a very calm day and I ate my lunch at the very summit -enjoying the view and looking at the entries in the sign-in book for the past few months. It was clear that "Bridge" is rarely summited in Dec-Feb because of snow. Even on St. Patrick's Day there was still a fair amount of snow around. I was perhaps the 20 person up the mountain in 2004 but the 3rd person that day. One guy reported that his GPS was reporting 7006 feet for the elevation as opposed to 6994 feet as shown on the topographical map. The guidebook had a clearly inaccurate elevation of only 6460 feet. The other two people to summit that day were experienced climbers who scaled the walls of Ice Box Canyon and were planning to knock off two more difficult mountains to the south before heading back to their vehicle in Red Rock Canyon. I met them near where the shale meets the sandstone (halfway down from North Peak) and they told me that if they managed to accomplish this they would be the first to do so. If I lived in Las Vegas I think I would enjoy trying that sort of thing myself. It took roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes to climb from the trailhead to the top of "Bridge". That included a side trip to North Peak and a little excursion up a dead end trail. The trip back took an hour and 50 minutes. Next time, I'll make a bigger effort to drive to the summit of the Rocky Gap Road and hopefully will take someone to share the experience with.

BELOW
This is the bridge on Bridge Mountain. The route to the top takes you right through this 40' wide and 30' high opening and on past the hidden forest.

The bridge
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The hike that we did on the third day is called Arizona Hot Springs in the guidebook. A few years ago I did it with Kathy and Judy. This time I did it with Kathy and Kaylee. As is the custom we got up early, had breakfast and headed for the hills. We did the customary stop at the Hoover Dam to show Kaylee and headed a few miles into Arizona to the parking place beside the highway. The first part of the hike is in open desert but the route soon swings into a wash that ends up a full-fledged canyon. I marvel at how narrow the canyon is and how steep and high the canyon walls are. After 2.5 miles we came to the banks of the Colorado River and waded in the cold water. After a time, we headed south and climbed over a ridge into the next wash. Heading up the wash in our bare feet, to avoid getting our shoes soaked we could feel the water in the creek getting gradually warmer. As we neared the Hot Springs another family warned us that "there was a buck-naked man shoveling out the pools". I went to check things out while Kathy and Kaylee had a little rest. The guy didn't seem to be a threat -just a bit of a nut. We had our lunch in the hope that the naked man might finish and leave but it didn't happen. We decided that the protection of Kaylee's innocence was not worth the imposition of coming this far and not getting to sit in the hot pools so we climbed the ladder and averted our eyes as best we could. It turned out that Joe is the main person responsible for digging out and sandbagging the pools. If this wasn't done then the Arizona Hot Springs would simply be a regular wash with hot springs coming in at the side -but no pools in which to sit. Joe does not get paid to dig out the pools. He just does it because he likes the place so much. During a short dip with Joe we told him that we were heading out by continuing up the same wash. This makes the route into a loop. He told us (much to Kathy and Kaylee's chagrin) that he would keep us company on the way. We all expected that he would put on some clothes for the way back but he simply put on some running shoes and his pack and walked naked almost all the way to the highway. Kathy and Kaylee kept trying to lag behind but every time we came to a difficult part of the trail he wanted to wait to see if they would have any difficulty. As Canadians we were too polite to object. The wash that we took on the way out is much more open so there was not as much shade. This was the only hike of the three that I found to be hot (lower elevation and hotter day) and we were all happy to reach that air-conditioned Blazer. The whole thing took 4 hours and 10 minutes. We stopped at the first place and got a couple of Buds to drink on the way back. I even offered one to Kaylee but she declined. It was another good day in the wilderness.

BELOW
This hot pool was almost too hot to sit in. It was even worse with our sunburns. Note the cool sunglasses. More info on them is posted on April 8/04. . . A lot of wives would be angry if their husbands put a picture of them in their bathing suits on the web. Since Kathy does not read my blog she doesn't know.

The hikers


Mar 22/04
I saw Mystere (a Cirque du Soleil show) at Treasure Island with Kathy, Kaylee and Judy. This is the third time I have viewed it. Without a doubt, this is the best 2 hours of entertainment that I have ever seen.

My brother Alec denies that Cirque du Soleil is a circus at all and I suppose he should know -since his daughter Emily was a performer in one of the shows for a year. But he is wrong. Cirque du Soleil is the modern form of the 3 Ring Circus and for me Mystere is the ultimate.

Physically, human beings are not capable of more than they are already doing in this show. Mystere is very gymnastics oriented and produces excellent displays on high bar, rings, trampoline, trapeze, tumble track, a teeter-totter like springboard, vertical poles and a slow motion ballet-like demonstration of balance and strength. There is a story of sorts -set to wonderful music and even the clowns are funny most of the time. This show is well worth the admission price of $95US.


Mar 23/04
Now it is time to record my general impressions of the trip. First on Las Vegas itself: things in Vegas have changed an awful lot since the first time my boss took us there in around 1990. Back in those days people still used to get dressed up to go out and all you had to do to get great seats to a show was slip a few bucks to the doorman.

Things have been getting more and more casual in Las Vegas and the trend seems to continue. On this trip, I don't remember noticing anyone that I would considered to be "dressed up". Variety shows were once a big part of the Las Vegas scene but the trend is away from them and toward the big budget stuff like Celene Dion, Mama Mia, and Cirque du Soleil. More and more, hotel rooms are being built but the sidewalks are not getting any wider and there is now a general feeling of crowdedness all up and down the strip. There is still a real seedy side (although somewhat diminished) with groups of Mexicans lining the sidewalks in certain places and handing out flyers featuring strip clubs and escort services.

Gamboling is changing as well. The casinos don't make much money at the traditional game of blackjack (partly because most players are much better versed on what the best bets are) so they are doing their best to change it. Minimum table limits are still climbing and the casinos are pushing a single deck version of the game where a blackjack pays 6-5 instead of 3-2. All over, dealers are hitting a soft 17 instead of holding. Both of these are bad for the player -good for the casino. I half expect that the next time I go they will not allow players to re-split pairs, double after splitting or surrender bad hands.

Poker is getting really big in Vegas now but since I have never played I am not sure whether the game is changing or it is just getting more popular for some other reason. Since I rarely play Craps or Roulette I really can't say whether there are any changes in these games. I suspect not -since I believe that the house has always done pretty well on these games For once, I did not notice any new games that have sprung up. In past trips I have noticed new games like Spanish 21, Caribbean Stud Poker and Casino War. I gather that these games carry a pretty big advantage for the house and that is why they are available. Casinos are quieter now since the noise made by slot machines has been toned down to almost nothing. Apparently slot machine patrons don't put coins in the slot any more. I think there is some system where patrons use bills or credit cards and just keep pushing a button until their money runs out. Apparently, winnings are collected at a different machine. Smoking seems to be on the downturn in the US. I hardly had any problems with people blowing smoke in my face on this trip. Casino ventilation systems are likely improving as well. There has been a general trend toward making the place more kid-friendly but I have not noticed much progress in the five years since I was there with Amy and the gymnastics club. I gather that Circus-Circus is not doing that well but Mandalay Bay is kid-friendly. I find that in the U.S. in general and Las Vegas in particular restaurant meals are too big. It has gotten to the point of silliness now.

Americans in general seem to have been knocked down a peg by 9-11 but they are still a pretty confident and self-possessed lot. Blind patriotism is still rampant. Kathy sat at a blackjack table where huge support for President Bush was expressed by almost everyone. She wisely kept her mouth shut. I'm glad I wasn't there after a few drinks.



Mar 31/04
Monthly Inline Skating Update: As far as inline skating goes March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. The weather in the first couple of weeks was as good as it could be for this time of year in this part of the world. I got out skating 6 times in the first 13 days of the month and also made it to the gym 3 times. Things were looking good.

My trips to Las Vegas and Sioux Falls threw a bit of a monkey wrench into the works as I only got out another 6 times in the next 18 days (plus twice to the gym and 3 good hikes). The real problem with the trips was not the realitive lack of exercise but the overeating. I am honestly afraid to step on the scale. In general the skating was fun and pain free (except for the usual back and ankle weakness). I seem to be building up some stamina but I have a lot of catching up to do.

Lately I have realized that I have been putting undue pressure on myself by having (possibly unrealistically) high expectations for my performance in the National Capital Marathon. As a result I am lowering my expectations.The main thing is to train for and complete the event without hurting myself. If I finish a pack or two behind my normal spot that will be OK.


 

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Weblog -April /2004

April 3/04

I am back from a 3 day trip to Sioux Falls SD. “The Boss”, Danny and I went to take part in a training course. We were learning how to set up and operate a Bidwell Screed Machine. These machines are very useful on bridge deck pours because they spread out and finish all the concrete in the deck as the concrete is being placed (usually by concrete pumps working ahead of the screed machine). The boss finally decided to purchase one of these machines because we have at least 14 deck pours scheduled already and the rental charges for this year would have added up to around half of what a screed machine costs brand new. We got to Sioux Falls 2 hours late on the night before the course started. The residents brag that Sioux Falls is the biggest city in 4 states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska –I think). The population is a staggering 135,000! It took us hours to get around town and rush hour traffic was a nightmare. Seriously, it reminded my somewhat of a couple of other small cities that I have visited in the US –namely Kalamazoo and Ann Arbour. There are probably another 1000 or so in the US. The distinguishing thing about Sioux Falls was the red quartzite that apparently underlays the whole area. All of the classy, old buildings in the downtown area are made from cut quartzite and it is also used as aggregate in almost all of the concrete and asphalt in the area. The red aggregate gives a pink colour to all of the asphalt and all but the newest concrete (concrete were none of the aggregate is exposed yet). We went to visit Sioux Falls Park and viewed the rapids that gave the city its name. The rapids are quite pretty but are marred by a railway bridge crossing the river at that exact location. The course itself was in a little town called Canton about 20 miles south of town. This is where the Bidwell factory is. The course was quite useful and informative for someone like myself who has a background in construction and has some idea of how machinery operates –but has never given serious thought to the operation and maintenance of that particular machine.

The boss took good care of our needs while we were there and even managed to get us home a little earlier than we had expected. We visited a casino on an Indian Reservation about 40 miles away and I am sad to say that I am the only one of the 3 of us that left some money with the casino instead of the other way around. I am going to think of it as unfinished business in Sioux Falls (evening the score with the casino).



April 7/04

I had a big problem with the old computer –the one we got in 1998 or 1999. I didn’t keep up the anti-virus software and because of a stupid mistake on my part some hacker took over my computer and started sending virus laden emails to people in my address book. I feel pretty bad about it. I hope that not too many people were duped the way I was. Once I figured out what was happening I unplugged the old computer from the internet. Unfortunately, that is the computer that I have always done my website from. It took me quite a while to transfer everything over to the newer computer and figure out how to upload stuff to the server all over again. That was the hardest part of getting my website up and running –the uploading part. Anyway, I seem to be back in business. The last couple of entries were typed up and saved until I could overcome the technical problems. Now they are posted for the whole world to see.

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Amy, my middle daughter has suggested that I post entries to these pages down rather than up the page. I am going to try that to see if it is better.

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I spent this Monday setting a couple of prefabricated pedestrian bridge decks onto the abutments that we had built to receive them. The scene took place in a couple of parks over a creek in Scarborough. We were really lucky with the weather because it dried out and got cold for the day. We would have really been screwed if the weather had stayed warm and rainy.

The two decks weighed in at around 10 tonnes each and were pretty big “picks” even for the 125 ton crane that we hired to do the job. Except for causing a lot of damage to the park pathways things went very smoothly. It really was awesome to watch a machine pick up such a massive structure and place it so far away.


April 10/04

I finished the second book in the Neanderthal Parallax, a trilogy by Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer on the trip to Sioux Falls. The second book, Humans continues where the first one leaves off. At the end of the first book Ponter, the main Neanderthal character manages to get back into his own parallel universe. In the second book, he returns to our world with another Neanderthal who is to be an ambassador. Ponter’s main motivation is to continue a developing relationship with his new found human friend Mary. Along the way there is an assassination attempt, a Neanderthal-Human murder, some inter-species hanky panky, a visit by a human to the Neanderthal world and an episode of Neanderthal vigilante justice. It is all quite entertaining.

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Today is my brother Roger’s 44th birthday. His life has been in a bit of turmoil as of late but he has found a girl that he likes and hopefully things will work out for him.


April 13/04

I heard, almost a week after the fact, that my Uncle Graeme (Graeme Huckye) had died at the age of 73. (Someday my relatives will clue into the fact that I do not read the "Globe and Mail"). He was the first to die among the 5 brothers and sisters (Fred, Edward, his twin Rose, and younger sister Sue). It was through their parents Mossy and Ottilie that my Mom and her two brothers were given their land at Stony Lake. Through mom's brother Ian and his wife Anke, Kathy and I got our lot. Uncle Graeme partied hard for his whole life and was one of those larger than life characters that seem to pop up in most families. For the first half of my life I knew him as "Uncle Gay" but he decided that that name was not to his liking. In one sense that name suited him perfectly but in the unfortunate sense it did not. Uncle Graeme was the only Huckye to build a cottage on the land on the north shore of Stony when all of that property was put on the market. Graeme’s place was tiny (so that he didn't need a building permit) but he seemed to enjoy his time at the lake a great deal. When I was very young, Uncle Gay boarded for a while with our family for some of the time that he was going to Western. Although I do not remember this I always seemed to know that Uncle Gay was special and he certainly was good about visiting us quite often over the years. I never got to know Kate or any of their kids very well but I am certain that they will miss him -as will I.

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At long last, I am starting my first job of the season tomorrow. It's the one at Martin Grove and Mimico Creek. Since last October I have been just fiddling around with "fill-in" and "keep-busy" type work so it will be refreshing to have a "real" job. Vic Alves is the foreman. He should be able to handle this one with ease.

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Today is Peter Patchet's birthday he is a childhood friend who stayed with our family for a year to avoid getting drafted into the American Army in the latter stages of the Viet Nam War when his family was moved to the US by the company that Mr. Patchet was working for. Today Peter is 52 as he was born in 1952.



April 15/04

Mid-month Skating Report I got off to a pretty slow start in April. Mostly because of the weather, I didn’t skate until the 6th. I only missed two days after that. The weather has been cool (say 3 to 10 degrees C) which is to be expected at this time of year. There are two things about cold weather that make skating so slow. Most important is that the muscles in the legs and lower back just will not do as much work when they are cold. The other thing is that you have to wear so much clothing that it restricts your movement and creates a lot of wind drag. Psychologically, slow skating leads to more slow skating. I have gotten much better about stretching and doing the exercises that they gave me at the sports medicine clinic. I think they are making a difference. The big battle right now is to get my lower back muscles trained to the point that I can skate for extended periods. This is the sixth spring that I have returned to skating after the winter and the sixth time I have had to struggle with a sore back that I thought would never improve. I think that indoor skating over the winter makes the transition a little easier -but only a little. This year is the first in the last 3 that I didn’t do indoor skating over the winter –and that means that I will have to build up my cardiovascular fitness as well as my skating specific muscle groups.

I have not been out to any TISC practices yet because I would have a lot of difficulty not being one of the fastest skaters. I am hoping that I might be OK after the Ottawa Marathon. We will see.



April 17/04

My Martin Grove bridge job has been going for 3 days now –so far so good. The traditional spring ritual of manpower placements has begun in earnest. Interested parties include the company, the supervisors (like me), the foremen, the individual labourers and carpenters and the union. This year there is a big void (power vacuum?) because our strongest foreman (Moises) has retired. Naturally, the supervisors and foremen want all the best labourers and carpenters on their jobs. The company wants to spread out the talent (and grief) according to perceived need. The union wants to mix in as many non-productive types in order to spread around the deadweight amongst all of the area contractors. Individual labourers and carpenters have their own ideas about where they want to work and for whom. Power in the decision making process is very unevenly distributed. There are always hurt feelings –especially further down the ladder. For my part, I usually negotiate (weakly) for the best men that I can get (because I tend to look at the big picture) and tell my boss that I will do the best I can with what I get.

In May, a lot of Newfie labourers will start flooding into town looking for work for the season. They usually last until late September or early October when they will start telling you that their mother is having an operation or they have to get home to "shoot a moose". A cynic might speculate that it has more to do with having enough weeks to qualify for a winter on Employment Insurance. Often we (the company) find ourselves caught short of labourers when the out migration gets under way.



April 18/04
 

I finished everyone's taxes and sent in the returns electronically. It was a wonderful experience. I used U-file. U-file is a web site so there is no software to purchase or load up onto the computer. The cost for all 4 of us was only $21 and I thought that was a pretty good deal.Last year I did everything by hand because the year before I used a store-bought program and it ended up taking about 3 times as long as doing the returns by hand. It was pathetic and needless to say I was really pissed. I think it was called TaxWiz.

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I have watched an unprecedented amount of the sires between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. I usually can watch for at around 20 minutes of game time before I fall asleep. I really don't care whether the Leafs win or loose except to say that most people that I know who do care about hockey want the Leafs to win so I hope they do.

April 23/04

I finished reading "Timeline" by Michael Crichton. As far as "big name" (mainstream) authors go -I guess he must be my favorite because this is at least the 6th book of his that I have read. I'm not quite sure how Crichton avoids the science fiction label that would probably doom his work to tiny print runs and banish him from the New York Times bestseller lists.

The book reminded me greatly of two others that I have read. In one way it was like "The Doomsday Book" by _____________. It showed up in my Xmas stocking in 2002. It was about a girl who time travels back to the time when the plague was sweeping through the English countryside and the efforts that were made to go and rescue her. The second book that it reminded me of was "Hominids" by Robert J. Sawyer. In that book a quantum computer is used by a Neanderthal man to travel to a parallel universe (ours).

In "Timeline" a diabolical genius creates a high tech company that figures out how to use a quantum computer to travel back through time to the Middle Ages. They send a history professor back to the period but he runs into problems and the company sends a rescue team of grad students who also run into problems. "Timeline" is a pretty good yarn if you can manage to suspend disbelief for long enough to accept that time travel is possible. (I prefer the possibility of traveling to a parallel Universe actually). If you managed to buy into the possibility of getting hold of dinosaur DNA and making some real dinosaurs (another Crichton book -Jurassic Park) then you might enjoy this one.



April 25/04
 

Kathy and I spent a relaxing weekend at the cottage. We caught up on a bit of sleep, watched a couple of Sopranos episodes from the first season on DVD, put in the dock ramp, did a bit of tidying and planned the retrofit of the high diving board. We also visited Mom on the way back through Peterborough. It was all the sweeter because I knew my fellow XXXXX employees were working their butts off on the DVP all weekend. I needed a good rest this weekend because I am about as stressed out (from work) as I can get before my body and brain start to shut down. When that happens I get less productive the harder I try –and so I accomplish even less. Starting up new jobs is always the most difficult thing -and with all of the legislated requirements that I am now aware of it is even more difficult. Starting up two City of Toronto bridge jobs in two weeks and trying to plan for a TTC job starting in a month is about all I can handle –especially with the little extras that the boss always manages to through in.

Kaylee spent the weekend in Sudbury at “Team Champs” the highlight of her swim season. Reports are that she did very well –despite a bad cold and a very sore hand.



April 27/04

I took two courses at the Construction Safety Association of Ontario head office earlier last week. This brings my total number of training days up to nine for the year. That number probably just about doubles the training that I have received in my previous 25 years in the construction industry. This probably says more about the size of the company I work for (small) than anything else. Had I been working for a large company or one more aware of the legislated requirements I would guess that I would have spent about a year of work time (250 days) in training by now.

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Kathy has changed her tune with regard to the use of our computer. For years I have been ridiculed for all of the time I have spent doing various things. Now Kathy has discovered how useful the computer can be. She has been making extensive use of email and Word to help her organize the synchronized swimming season for her high school district. She does not like it when I remark that she is “playing" on the computer again. I guess she is seeing that what goes around –comes around.



April 30/04

End of Month Inline Skating Report.

I managed to get out 17 times in the month of April and also went to the gym 4 times. This frequency compares well to the last couple of years. My weight is holding steady at 175 – I guess I have not been stressed out enough (at work) to lose those last 5 pounds. I seem to be making steady progress toward getting back to my former level. I am now skating my favourite routes in about 110% of my best times from last year. Looking back over my logs for the months of April and May for the last few years I would say (in a subjective way) that I am a few weeks behind my normal progress to date. This is understandable. I think there is good hope that I will not embarrass myself in the National Capital Marathon. I have entered. My back seems to be holding out pretty well and seems to respond very well to the stretching that I have been doing. The real problem is my general fitness level. As mentioned before, I was looking at my logs from the last few years. Two things stick out. First, I have been a little smarter in past years about picking an objective for a workout and then sticking to it. A good example would be a couple of the LSD skates that I did last April. It would probably be wise to skate long and slow or short and very fast more than I have been. The second thing that sticks out is how darned fast I was able to go on those old rec skates. I would say that the fancy equipment and somewhat better technique has resulted in only a 16% improvement in a straight pull. Stated another way, I can now pull at around 29kph compared to around 25kph before I joined TISC. Of course, at those speeds, it takes far more than a 16% increase in energy output (or skating efficiency) to result in 16% faster skating. I have not been going to TISC practices for a few reasons:
1) I am really busy at work.
2) I hate skating on the small track and I understand that is where everything has been happening. The small track is also very hard on my disk.
3) I would probably be in the slowest group and I am still too competitive to be happy with that.

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Last week I stopped at a bank to deposit my weekly paycheque. I spent the next 30 minutes looking all through my truck for the cheque but ended up giving up. I came to the conclusion that I must have stuffed it into my little garbage bag and then dumped it in an outside garbage can at a Tim Horton’s in Mississauga. (The reason was that I had jotted down some directions on the envelope and once I had found my way to the place in question I had no more use for the directions/paycheque).

Naturally, I had to endure some good natured kidding from my boss and from Rosa in the office before they issued another cheque. Just as naturally, I ended up finding the old cheque buried inside a reference book that I had been looking at in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. I should probably frame it as a reminder of how stupid I can be.

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Weblog -May /2004

May 1/04
I am relieved. I have been doing a bit of internet research and have discovered that there is a considerable difference between skating 25kph and 29kph. (See April 30/04).

I have never seen anything published on the subject of wind resistance as it pertains to inline skating so I decided to read up on the way wind resistance affects cycling. Briefly, the two big factors affecting speed in cycling are hills and air resistance. Hills are not important to this discussion. With air resistance, the amount of power (or energy per unit of time) that a cyclist must employ increases exponentially with velocity. To make the story short -if a cyclist increases his velocity from 25kph to 29kph he will have raised his velocity by 16% but his energy consumption will have to rise by 56%! This assumes that the cyclist does not shift his position on the bike to make himself more aerodynamic. I don’t believe that inline skaters have to increase energy consumption by 56% to increase speed from 25kph to 29kph. Part of the reason is because at 25kph most inliners are approaching their top cruising speed but most cyclists are not. Saying the same thing a different way, cyclists can go faster with a given amount of effort because cycling is more efficient. Inline skating is a weight bearing sport (the participant must support their own body weight during the activity) and thus consumes energy at a much higher rate. Since the skater is already using more energy to go 25kph he will not need to increase his energy output by 56% to overcome the extra wind resistance. It’s simple math. For a skater to increase his velocity from 25kph to 29kph it will take somewhere between 16% and 56% more energy. I suspect that if a lone skater on a flat road on a windless day wanted to increase his speed from 25 to 29kph he would lower his body position (and put up with the pain in his thighs) and he would also bend a little lower (and put up with the pain in his lower back). In short, he would make the decision to increase his skating efficiency at the cost of comfort –but as a result he would not have to expend 56% more energy to increase his speed by 4kph. This is a trade-off that cyclist cannot make. For a skater (like me) to improve his best pull times by 4kph over a period of a few years the same factors come into play. Skating lower and more aerodynamically would fit together with other factors like reducing wasteful movements and the use of better equipment. To me it would seem likely that the reason that I can now skate 4kph faster has almost nothing to do with being able to do more work and almost everything to do with skating technique and equipment. One final note. I have always dreamed of being able to pull for a decent length of time at 30kph. If I recover this year I am going to make a big effort to skate the 15k route at Hamilton Beach in under 30 minutes -all alone. I would consider this to be a very significant accomplishment.

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I learned another thing in my research. I have always wondered why I will always do a slow time on a windy day (assuming an out and back course). It would seem on the surface that going with the wind should make up for the time fighting the wind. The answer comes down to time spent fighting the wind versus time spent going with the wind. Clearly, the total time going with the wind will be less that the time spent fighting the wind and the result will be a slower overall time than would be the case on a windless day. Makes sense to me.


May 6/04

The last episode of “Friends” is on TV as I write. I am not watching because I do not care how it ends.

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Today was a perfect skating day. At the end of my work day I did my best time of the year on my “home” route (without killing myself) and then it started to rain as soon as I got home. I just love it when I manage to beat the rain. It’s like sneaking in a workout that nobody else will get. To top it off, there was a TISC practice that was rained out. I had thought about going but I had decided that attending would probably do more harm than good.

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The Leafs are out of the playoffs –as of Tuesday night. I turned on the TV to see if I could watch the news but I saw the second overtime instead. The Leafs should pay me not to watch.


May 7/04

Lindsay is home from university –sort of. She still has to coach her synchro team in London until the end of May so she has to return to London fairly often. Kathy has been without her car a fair bit while Lindsay parties in Toronto or drives down the 401 to London. As soon as Lindsay’s commitment to London Synchro is over she will be heading off to Camp-Can/Aqua for the summer.

************************************************** I have been working on a new idea for my “time trial” at Hamilton Beach for this year. I am thinking that I will issue a challenge to all area skaters, let them skate the route any time they want and report back to me with their own time. I will keep an up-to-date tally of everybody’s times on my website. It’s hard to know if the idea will fly but it will not cost me much to try.

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Amy has signed up for driver’s lessons and she actually has the same instructor for her “in car” lessons that Lindsay did. Today I had my first ride with Amy at the wheel. She did well but I was a little apprehensive when she was backing out of a parking spot.

May 9/04

I have decided that I will purchase a new pair of skates (Rollerblades). I love the old ones but I can see that they are quickly wearing out and would like to have them in good enough shape to be used as “rain skates”. I figure that I have put roughly 5000 km onto my Custom Bont Pyrotechnics and I am thinking that I will probably get another pair of the same model. The last pair cost me around $900 but I have heard that the price is now up to around $1200. This, of course, is without the frames, wheels or bearings.  

One reason that the skates are so expensive is that they are custom moulded to both feet. Even though the skates are custom moulded it is still not a guarantee that they will be a perfect fit. I was very, very pleased with my current skates but I did have to construct a pair of insoles –in order to take up some extra room that was somehow built into them. There are several people around that are qualified to mould for Bont skates and TISC skaters are often heard in conversation debating the merits of going to each of them. I am going back to Ian Hennigar at The Ontario Speed skating Association because he is very convenient and I had a good experience there last time.

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While on the subject of new toys –my boss has declared that it is time for me to have a new pickup truck. I drove the old one (a green Extend-a-cab Chevy with a short box) for exactly 5 years. Since “the big 3” American auto makers all make full sized pickups that will not fit down my narrow driveway I told the boss that I need to get a Toyota Tundra. He didn’t really flinch when I told him so he may have had advanced warning that I needed to go that way on my next truck. Since the boss does not have any special relationship with a Toyota dealership I offered to get my friend Jim Middleton (a Toyota dealership owner) involved in the search for a truck that will fit the bill. It turns out that most of the mid-range Tundras come with plastic “fender extenders” which make them too wide for my driveway. Luckily, there are some Tundras around that don’t have that feature and we are waiting for one of them to be delivered to Jim’s dealership next week.

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I was reading in “SkyNews”, a Canadian astronomy magazine that I read, that there is going to be an extremely rare transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun on June 8th. You will be able to see it with the naked eye as long as you have a suitable filter through which to view. I am really looking forward to this event. There hasn’t been a transit of Venus since 1882. I am even considering breaking out the department store telescope that I was given. It’s so cheap and difficult to use that I never bother with it –but on this occasion it might be worth a try (depending on what a solar filter would cost and what my work schedule is shaping up like).

May 12/04

Today is my brother Tom’s 48th birthday. He lives in Calgary with his wife Shiela and their two sons, Curtis and Russell. Tom is a foreman for The City of Calgary Works Dept. We don’t see Tom that often because he lives so far away but it is always a treat when we do. Of my 3 brothers, Tom is the most similar to me in most things –especially our good looks. We can’t help it that we were the lucky ones.

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Speaking of Calgary, I gather that the Flames beat the San Jose Sharks for the second straight time last night. They will be coming back to Calgary for the next two games so it is looking very much like there will be a Canadian team it the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yea!

May 14/04

Mid-Month Skating Report

I’ve been doing lots of skating and have been a bit better about having a focus for most workouts. Lately, I have realized that I am “over-trained” and would be wise to cut back a little. I took Wednesday off even though I could have skated and I plan to take tomorrow off as well. I did a “speed workout” where I did my first anaerobic skating in 9 and a half months. My lower back really felt that one. I decided to pull a con job on myself in preparation for Ottawa. Today I took off my old wheels (I used them 44 times) and put on a brand new set of 84mm Hyperformance +Gs. Then I went out and beat my old best time on my Upper Humber route. It is true that this particular PB was “soft” because I did not really make a serious attempt to beat it last year (and so it was “left over” from 2002). It was nevertheless an exceptional time. The trail is marked off in 1km sections and I managed to skate 14k in 28:06! That is close enough to 30kph for me. With the new wheels I would say that I am now at 95% of my former top speed. I would not expect any more in mid-May even if I had been doing indoor. As I write, my back is bothering me a little more than usual after a workout but it’s a "good kind of hurtin". So, how much advantage do I get from dropping a worn out set of wheels and going to a new set? I would say that I can skate about 5% faster with new wheels. I am guessing that this results from roughly 10% more power output.

What about my hopes for the Ottawa Marathon? I hope that I will be able to skate the race in roughly the same time as last year (1:21+). To do this I will have to find a good group to skate with and not waste a lot of energy leading the pack (like I did last year). I certainly do not mind pulling my weight, or even doing double duty, but this year I want to keep something in the bank for the end of the race. Simply put, I will have to skate a lot smarter this year to do the same time as last year.

May 16/04

We went to the cottage this weekend. I did almost everything possible to destroy my lower back but I seem to have emerged unscathed. My lower back survived the following abuse: the 2 hour (plus) drives each way; levering our big, heavy floating dock into the water with only Kaylee to help; launching our 14 foot aluminum boat off the dock and into the water (with Kaylee and Kathy) hauling dad's enormous anchoring weights off the lake bottom and onto his dock -in order to swing his dock into summer position; lowering the boathouse ramp with a come-along; lifting our 25 hp motor off a stand and putting it on the boat; pull starting the motor and finally, putting away all the plywood sheets and 7 foot long 8x8s that I use to handle our dock. In addition to the above I managed to skate for 1 hour and 18 minutes (non-stop) at the very acceptable pace of 27 kph. I am definitely a macho man.

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Amy is taking driver's Ed classes at the ripe old age of 18 and three-quarters. The classroom stuff is driving her nuts because she has finished her first year of university and the instructor teaches like it is a grade 9 class. Amy reports that there are two distinct groups taking the course. The 16 and 17 year olds are just about equally balanced by a group of much older "new Canadians". Apparently, the new Canadians get really into the classes and ask a lot of questions. The high school kids just want to get out of there so they just sit there and roll their eyes whenever a new Canadian asks another question. I can just picture it.

May 19/04

Yesterday was an eventful day. In the morning I went to get casts of my feet taken at the Ontario Speedskating Association offices. The moulds will be sent to Bont in Australia and I will have a new pair of inline speed skates in roughly 6 weeks. I had to select a colour scheme for the skates because the default colours are pretty bad. Selecting colours is toward the bottom of my list of talents so I stayed fairly traditional.

At the end of the work day I went to the gym. When I emerged from my workout I noticed a large crowd of spectators, an ambulance and a few police cars over in the area where I had parked my pickup truck. As I got closer I saw that a small black car had jumped a curb and smashed into my pickup. There was yellow police tape wrapped around the two vehicles and part of the surrounding area. It turned out that someone had tried to steel a bunch of cash from the driver of the black car by spraying him with pepper spray. Instead of giving up the money the driver took off, driving wildly and blindly through the parking lot -and ended up hopping the curb and smashing into my front left fender. The wheel was completely collapsed.

I waited for over 2 hours for the cops to do their investigation, write up an accident report and release the truck. This was the second time in four days that someone has driven into my truck when it wasn't even moving. The first incident happened on Friday. I was waiting for my turn to hang a right onto a busy road. All of a sudden, the person in front of me threw their vehicle into reverse and backed into me without even looking. Together, these two "accidents" amount to quite a bit of damage. I would not be surprised if the insurance company decides to write the truck off. Luckily, I have a new truck already on order from Toyota.

May 21/04

All of Canada is celebrating because a Canadian team (Calgary Flames) has made it to the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s been 10 years and that is a real shame.

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Yesterday, Lindsay took off to London in the CRV and ended up in a horrific traffic jam on the 401 in Milton. She arrived home 7 hours later, not having made it to London. She was not amused.

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Kaylee has developed a shoulder injury (tendonitis) at swimming. We are glad that the season is wrapping up and are hopeful that the situation will disappear during the summer. These things are always a worry to athletes and their parents.


May 25/04

The weather on the May 24th long weekend (the May 2-4) was about as bad as it can get. Except for Saturday morning and Monday in the late afternoon the conditions were wet. Luckily, I decided to skate on Saturday morning after we got to the cottage. Otherwise, I would have been pretty irritable all weekend. Actually, I was irritable anyway because I have now joined Kathy in having a bad cold.

The most notable thing that I did on the weekend was helping mom to get her TV reception working again. She has a satellite dish but she also has a VCR that she cannot work and a link to an old TV antenna that will bring in the local station. When I pulled the TV out from the wall I thought for a moment that I had discovered a nest of Garter snakes. Dust and darkness added greatly to the confusion. I tried a few things to get the TV working but in the end I decided that I had to phone the number for the satellite company. Naturally, mom’s phone is far away from the TV set so I had to keep leaving the phone to try new things while the poor girl awaited my return with a report of the results of my adjustments. The girl was very helpful and patient but my frustration grew worse as the time passed and, in the end, I had to admit that I had been defeated. After I hung up I had a chance to reflect upon the fact that at least two people had been fiddling with things before I had started. It finally dawned on me the cable connected to the TV was not from the satellite dish but was, in fact, from the antenna. I thought antennas used flat wires. Well, Mom is now getting a signal from the satellite but the VCR has no more wires attached to it and the antenna wire also unconnected. In a way, the VCR resembles the burned out carcass of a tank that has seen the worst of a major battle.

It will be up to my brother Roger to put everything back to the way it was –if it matters.


May 31/04

This past weekend was centered on the Ottawa Marathon. I participated in the 42k inline skate on Sunday morning. For the first time (this was my forth time skating this race) I went to the cottage for Friday night and then on to Ottawa along Hwy #7 on Saturday. On the way home I enjoyed the cottage for Sunday afternoon before returning to Toronto in the early evening.

My accommodations were a little different than last year when we stayed at the Chateau Laurier. This year Kathy and Kaylee decided not to go so I bunked up in a residence room at the University Of Ottawa. It was quite a bit cheaper in the residence. It was great to meet up with all of my old skating friends both inside and outside of TISC. I suppose I talked to (or at least waved at) 50 or more people that I haven't seen since last season. This race was to be the first big test on my road back from the herniated disk of last summer. I passed the test. I didn't quite manage to match my time of the last couple of years but I only added three minutes and I somehow managed to win (just barely) my age category (50-54). My excuses for not skating fast are numerous and I will list a few of them here: it was too cold, I was too fat, I am not yet in very good shape, I haven't done any anaerobic work, and I have had a bad cold. For a report on the race click here.

On the drive back to the cottage from Ottawa I made a decision. Since my back is likely to bother me more or less (depending on my activity level and other factors) for the rest of my days I might as was consider that this is the "new reality". Thus, I should stop using it as an excuse for slow skating or anything else. From now on, that’s just the way it is. Clearly, there is a reason that there are not a whole lot of skaters in the age categories above mine. I hope I can keep up my interest that long.

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Weblog -June /2004

June 2/04

Lindsay was in Ottawa last weekend coaching her synchronized swimming team and the same time as I was there skating in the marathon. Her duet team won! Lindsay says she deserves a mention in this weblog because she plugged my website at the synchro meet. I gather that the marathon weekend events kept coming up in conversations at the synchro meet.

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The Stanley Cup playoffs are now tied up at 2 games each. Come on Calgary!

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We are in the early stages of a federal election campaign. It is looking like the Liberals will lose their majority government and may even end up in opposition. I hope that Stephen Harper is not the next Prime Minister. The vote is in late June.

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I finally received a brand new Toyota pickup, a Tundra. On my first day of driving it I got a thumbs up sign from a motorcyclist so I guess he liked it –I certainly do. It is kind of cool to have a full sized pickup that is not one of the “big 3” American manufacturers. I have been driving it almost a week and I have yet to see a similar model on the road. The truck is pretty easy to get down the driveway and I am hoping to go a long time before I scrape the side on the brick foundation wall of our house.


June 4/04

My “friend” Grant knocked me down a notch today. I stopped by his job, in the middle of the Don Valley Parkway at York Mills, to pick something up and I was showing off my new truck to the boys. In the middle of everything Grant said “I thought only women and gay guys drove those things”. OK he didn’t really put it exactly like that but the implication was there. If it wasn’t so funny I would have been insulted. Now Grant and I are on the lookout for Toyota Tundras to see if they are being driven my mostly women or not. Right now the count is 1 woman, 0 men. I might be in trouble.


June 5/04

Today it is 6 months since my dad died. He was the best dad you could ever hope for. I miss him a lot.


June 6/04

Today we are spreading my dad’s ashes at the cottage. He and mom spent 17 wonderful years there after he retired.

I think it is fantastic that we have chosen the 60th Anniversary of D-Day for the occasion. In his later years Dad came to recognize his D-Day experience as “the seminal moment in my life”. I am going to reprint my very first weblog entry as a tribute to dad and all the others that were there. Please read dad’s account of D-Day –it’s really well written and really fascinating.

Jan 25/04 Now that I have finished reorganizing my website, I am starting this blog in memory of my Dad who died on Dec 5/03 at the age of 82. For about 35 years Dad kept a hand written journal at the cottage. For 17 years Dad and Mom lived at the cottage, a fairly remote location beside a lake. In this time, the journal entries were frequent -perhaps 3 per week on the average. Reading through the journals in the weeks since he died has given me some new insights into the remarkable man that he was. I see now that Dad used his journal in part to order his thoughts (to try and make some sense out of the complicated world around him). I view the journals as an important gift from Dad to any family member who cares to read them.

Before he died, Dad decided to write an account of his experiences in and around D-Day. Here are a couple of quotes from his journal:

June 6/2001 I spent some time today thinking about my "D"day experience, the days and weeks that led up to it and the days that followed. It was beyond question the central experience of my life. . . I think the time has come for me to record my recollections. . . It may finally be of some interest to my grand children and my great grand children should there be any.

June 7/2002 After tossing around in our landing-craft all night under the guns of the battleships just off shore, we grounded at first light. The 1500 wt drove off into four feet of water and we landed soaking wet on the beach at first light. -My memory of 58 years ago today.

Dad was born in 1921 and was supposed to enter Grade 13 in Sept/1939. Rather than do that, he joined the Canadian Army. After basic training, he was shipped off to England in Jan/1940. He did not get out of England or Scotland until D-Day (June/1944). He arrived back in Canada in the late summer of 1945 after spending 6 full years in the army.

After he died, there was some question in the family as to whether or not Dad had ever finished his account. When I turned on his computer this is what I found:
D-Day Remembered


June 9/04

The transit of Venus was a non-event for me. I decided the day before (and without regard for the transit) to start my work day at the office –a rare event for me. When I realized where I would be in the early morning I was not unhappy because the office is on the 8th floor of building with no other tall structures nearby –so I knew I would have an unobstructed view of the sun as early as I would care to look.  

My big problem was that somehow in the shuffle from my old truck to the rental Blazer and then into the new truck I lost my welder’s glass. It was the filter through which I had watched the almost full eclipse of the sun back around 1992. I didn’t realize that it was gone until the early evening and it was too late to acquire anything through which to watch the transit the next morning. I didn’t have a lot of time and I was really keen to see the event so I decided (despite the warnings) to improvise. I decided to tear apart a couple of 3.5 inch floppy disks and use the actual disks as filters. The good news is that I found that I could stare directly at the sun through two disks. The bad news is that I will have to admit that my vision is not acute enough to say for certain that I could see Venus’ outline on the surface of the sun. Of course, I knew exactly where to look. I can go as far as to say that I think I saw it –but the spot was pretty tiny and I can’t be 100% sure that I really did see it. My viewing was done from the parking lot and also from our 8th floor east facing window at the office. When one of guys at the office found out why I was staring at the sun he said “that must have been what I was seeing as I drove into Toronto along the eastbound 401”. Then he proceeded to tell me exactly the correct position. Apparently, the actual sunrise had featured a tremendous fireball with a little dot at the 4 o’clock position. So close –yet so far!

************************************************** I went to my first TISC (Toronto Inline) practice of the season last night. It was fun! I had forgotten how thrilling it is to do those tight, high speed turns when you are in the middle of a pace line. It’s a little bit like riding a motorcycle and every bit as dangerous. **************************************************

I almost forgot to mention that Calgary lost the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals in a close 2-1 game. The sportscasters are saying that they lost to a better and more deserving team but I am sure that 90% of Canadians were hoping for Calgary. The TV ratings for the series were very high.


June 11/04

Work is killing me. I now have 3 jobs on the go. Stuff is always going wrong because I am not around to steer things in the right direction when they go off track a little. By the time I find out that anything is amiss it is too late or very expensive to fix.

This way of doing things (the fire-fighting method) is the preferred management technique at XXXXX. The problem is it does not suit my personality. I would prefer to plan and control to a much larger extent but I simply don’t have the time. The good news is that I haven’t been loosing any sleep. It’s just that when I am putting in some 10 and twelve hour days I start to resent it. That said, “the boss” didn’t say a single word about the considerable time off that I took when I had my back problem last summer –or anything about all the time I spent up in Peterborough when dad was in intensive care. I guess now is payback time. I just bugs me when stupid things happen that could so easily be avoided if I had more time to spend on the jobs. It must be that in the overall scheme of things it is more profitable to do more work and put up with a few more mistakes.

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Yesterday, I skated very, very well on my “home route" in Sunnybrook Park. Tomorrow, I will go and do a little marathon as a training run with some members and friends of the Toronto Bicycle Network . I expect to see some trails that I have not done before so that will be interesting.


June 12/04

Today I went out to the TBN “marathon”. There were several people there that I knew or had at least met before. The course started at the foot of Brock Street in Whitby and went all the way out to the GM offices on the other side of Oshawa –with a side trip up a path into the heart of Oshawa. There was quite a bit of road skating but perhaps 75% of the route was on pathways. The pathways were in pretty decent shape and the road sections were nice and wide so I felt pretty safe for the most part.

I ended up skating the whole way with Morgan and it was great to have someone to share the experience with. At our speed it was difficult not to make some wrong turns and we had to stop a few times to check the map. (If you think it is hard to read a road map while driving try to do it on a narrow pathway skating at 25 kph). We ended up doing two or three extra kilometres but that was OK. The whole thing was a little like orienteering on inlines.

I told Morgan that it was fine for him to take off in the last few miles and he did make a half-hearted attempt near the end but I chased him down and we finished together in 1:43:40. This is not a good time for fast skaters but under the circumstances it was fine. Only once before have I skated as long a workout. It was a fun morning. I particulatilly enjoyed seeing some new paths.


June 15/04

It is time for my Mid-Month Skating Report. I have been skating well since the Ottawa Marathon. As usual, I noticed that my energy level was depleted somewhat by the marathon for a week or so after -with the low point coming perhaps 5 days after the event. After the recovery, I turned in several really fast times on two of my favourite routes and, in the process, managed to notch a PB on my Martin Goodman Trail –West route. I went to my first TISC practice of the season and again skated well. I have only slipped a few notches in the pecking order and hope is not lost.

I want to do a “long” skate every two weeks and I accomplished this by participating in a TBN (Toronto Bike Network) low key “marathon” (42k). I only got to the gym once during the last two weeks but I am OK with that (although it would be good to go more often to balance things out). Total mileage is down a bit from last year but hopefully I am training “smarter”.

My weight has dropped (mostly because of my stress level I think) to around 171 and I am really pleased about that. The annoying bulge around my midsection is mostly gone and looking in the mirror has become a more positive experience.

I am starting to focus on the National Marathon which will be held on July 1/04 on the same course as last year in Cambridge. Last year I did exceptionally well by sticking with the lead pack while Benoit, Herb and Stephan were dropped. It is anyone’s guess what will happen this year but if I have my “good stuff” that day then I will at least be with those 3 guys at the end of the race. Finishing with that group would be a big step up from Ottawa.


June 16/04

Canadians are in the midst of a Federal election campaign. The Liberals are up against the ropes. I can’t really feel sorry for them but I would hate to see the Conservatives win even more. I am thinking of throwing my vote away on the NDP but I am waiting to find out more about the candidate. I wish I was in Jack Layton’s riding.

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My “country mouse” daughter (Lindsay) has been up at camp for almost 2 weeks now and wants to invite all her camp co-workers to the cottage for the weekend. A large number will have to sleep on the floor. I hope they don’t burn the place down. I will have to stay over at Mom’s while I get a start on reconstructing the high diving board. Kathy is going to stay in town this weekend.

My “city mouse” daughter (Amy) is settling into her third summer of work as a lifeguard/swimming instructor at the Toronto Lawn and Tennis Club. She is not having the best summer because almost all her friends have reached the legal drinking age and want to spend their time in bars. Amy has to wait until October before she is “legal”.

June 20/04

I spent most of the weekend at the cottage rebuilding the high diving board over at my mom’s place. The old board was unsafe because of dry-rot and because the original concept had not included a proper ladder, a handrail or much of a landing. In rebuilding, the major decision was not to attempt to replace the springboard but to simply install a diving platform –along with an improved ladder, handrail and landing.

I made good progress in the time I had available but it will be another weekend’s work before I am done. The ceremonial first dive is going to be a forward one and a half performed by yours truly. After that, I am going to do a back somersault and then a handstand somersault. I intend to ensure that there are witnesses as well as cameras at the scene. Today my mother told me that Uncle Ian is down in the record books as being the oldest person to do a full gainer (reverse somersault) off the board –at the age of 58! I guess I better start practicing now if I am going to beat that one. I will be tougher for me since I will only have a 3 meter platform –rather than a springboard. Lindsay gave me a bottle of Camp Can-Aqua maple syrup for father’s day. She and her friends seemed to be having a good time at my cottage. Now I will have to decide whether to eat up the syrup on pancakes or have it with vanilla ice cream.

**************************************************

I arrived back in Toronto for a Father’s Day dinner (beef stew) and a couple of gifts. The gift from Amy was a book –well thumbed to say the least. (For more on that see my weblog entry of March 24/04). From Kathy/Kaylee I got a pair of sandals. I am not really a sandals type of guy but I am going to give them an honest try. However, it is hard to imagine how they will be more comfortable than a pair of steel toed work boots. When I unwrapped the sandals Amy thought it necessary to tell me that I should not wear them with socks. Thanks Amy –I never would have known!

June 23/04

On Monday I recorded my best ever time on my “home” route in Sunnybrook Park. Everything came together. The wind was fairly light, I was only using my wheels for the 20th time, I had skated hard (but not too hard) the day before and I had taken off the day before that. The wind that was evident tended to blow me uphill and fight me on the way back.

My time of 32:40 was 13 seconds better than my previous best –established July 9/03. My best 2002 time was 33:37, my best 2001 time was 35:00 and the best time in 2000 was 37:35 (on rec skates). I can now say that I am skating as fast as I ever have.

When I did my new best time I had the exact same feeling that I did when I established my PB of 37:35 back in 2000. It felt like I was a jet fighter -flying about a foot off the ground, just about to break the sound barrier and create a sonic boom right in the middle of Sunnybrook Park!


June 27/04

Kathy and Kaylee are now ensconced at the cottage for the summer. I will be a mere visitor on the weekends. I doubt that there will be many entries in this weblog between now and September –time is always in short supply in the summer. I finished the high board reconstruction (to favourable reviews) this past weekend. I have not yet done my fancy dives because the weather was so windy and cool.

I have hurt my back again and my participation in the National Marathon is in peril. I did not skate today and I will also take tomorrow off. On Tuesday I will skate easy and decide whether or not to “go for it”. I seemed to "pull something" on my last Wednesday skate but I may have triggered it on my really fast Monday outing or even last weekend while working on the high board. I certainly hope this is just a blip on my route back to peak performance.

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Last week, we saw “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban”. I was pretty disappointed. They had changed the setting of Hagrid’s house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest and this really bugged me. As well, is was not possible to properly cover the plot in the 2+ hours and I was bothered by that as well. The book is a good read but the movie is not worth watching unless you have read the book.

June 30/04

End of Month Inline Skating Report

June was a pretty good month. I went to my first TISC practice –but only one. I got out as much as I dared and turned in some great times on my favourite routes. I participated in a “fun” marathon and I also went to the gym a few times to keep up my core strength. What I did not do is probably as important as what I did. I did not get around to doing any anaerobic work. I really owe it to myself to buckle down and do it –or at least start going back to TISC. Tomorrow is the National Marathon. I have no idea how I will fair because I am not sure what my back will let me do. We will see.

 


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Weblog -July /2004

July 1/04

Report on the National Marathon

The race this year was held on the same course as last July 1st and was another interesting “exercise” (sorry). This event is a great way to celabrate Canada Day!

I drove up to Cambridge with my newly purchased copy of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon playing fairly loud as I thought about the likely scenarios for the race. I figured that there would be more fast skaters in attendance than last year, that I would probably be unable to stay with the really fast ones for very long and hoped that I would manage to catch a ride with a decently large second pack. I arrived in good time, signed up, said hi to many old friends, got ready and warmed up.

The course consists of 3 small loops of about 1km and then three larger ones of around 13km. Just like last year, things stayed sensibly slow on the 3 little loops but, just at the beginning of the third loop the guy in front of me almost fell down. I went to the left and prepared to jump over his legs but he somehow managed to stay up. In the process of recovery he threw his left hand back wide and hard and hit me squarely in the middle of the face. It was quite a surprise and I was a little stunned for a couple of seconds. After a short time I realized that my glasses were gone!

A lot went through my mind in the next few seconds. Had the glasses been destroyed by a trailing skater (there were lots behind me at this point)? If not, would they survive another pass by the pack on the final small loop? If they survived that, what would happen to them when they opened up the road to traffic as we headed out onto the main part of the course? WAS IT WORTH IT TO STOP SKATING AND RECOVER THE GLASSES NOW? Doing that would destroy any hope of catching a ride with any pack. In the end, I KEPT SKATING. As we passed the crowd near the starting line for the last time I yelled out that I had lost my glasses down the way and would someone please have a look but I found out later that I had not made myself understood.

I am not totally lost without my glasses but it threw me off a little. I had more difficulty seeing what was going on with the fast guys at the front and a harder time seeing stuff on the road. However, not having the glasses probably did not affect the final outcome of the race.

The surges started as soon as we got on to the main course and became intolerable for me about half way into the first big loop. I was disappointed because there were still plenty of skaters up ahead that I have been able to skate with in the past. I figured that there were too many skaters ahead for only one pack and I later learned that the skaters in front did indeed split into 2 packs. I would so much have loved to be up there.

I skated alone for a minute and waited for some help. Soon I was with David T, Allan M, and a guy from Montreal. We took turns pulling but nobody was much interested in taking killer pulls like would be happening up ahead. Over the next few miles we reeled in Derik B, Benoit J and a couple of more guys from Montreal. (Actually one from Montreal and one from Ottawa). I only remember 8 of us but David said there were 9.(I forgot that we reeled in Eric Gee near the end).

The pace was pretty slow and we finished in 1:24+. I had nothing for the sprint at the end and settled for last place in our pack. This is the first time that David T and Alan M have managed to beat me. I hope it’s the last. Not doubt they are hoping the opposite.

I asked around at the finish line and also at the registration desk to see if anyone had turned in my glasses. I got shrugs. Only people who wear glasses know what it is like to search for lost glasses without the benefit of proper vision. As I worked my way slowly along the left side of the road in the area where I lost the glasses a woman who was walking her dog on the other side asked me what I was looking for. I told her the story and she said she would keep an eye out. I finished my first pass on the left side and started working my way back along the other side. Just as I finished that side, a skater that I didn’t know, said that someone had given his wife a pair of glasses to hand in. I figured it was probably the lady with the dog. Thanks! The glasses were bent up pretty badly but a little work with a pair of needle nose pliers got them back into useable condition pretty quickly. I think it is time for a new pair but I need to book an eye test first.

This is the second marathon in a row that I have not managed to perform as well as I did in the past. I am convinced now that I must force myself to do some anaerobic work or learn to be content with marathons in the 1:25 range. It’s all about catching a fast pack.




July 6/04

I now have independent verification that I can pull (skate alone) for half an hour at 30kph. Today I went to the Hamilton Beach Trail and participated in my own Time Trial Event. It’s a self timed 15k time trial. I was hoping that I might be able to go under 30 minutes but I surprised myself and did 28:50 (31.2 kph) on old wheels. Perhaps I can get close to 28:00 when I get my new skates and frames broken in, I have a new set of wheels and the conditions are even better.

It helped that I was skating against the wind on the way out. I ended up doing the first half in 14:59 and was a bit worried that I would not make my target time. All doubts disappeared as I started to knock off the kilometres in around 1:50 on the way back. I met several bike riders along the way that were pretty surprised to see someone skating that fast. One guy told me that I was doing 40kph. If only it were true!




July 11/04

Last week, I got a call from the Ontario Speed Skating Association to say that my new skates have arrived. I rushed over to pick them up and they look great. The Bont Pyrotechnic has changed in several ways in the past 2 years but it is essentially the same skate. The best change is that there is now a buckle to help hold your heel in place. The buckle can be tightened or loosened while skating.

I fitted the boots up with a pair of HiLo (Hyper) frames that I purchased at the National Marathon last week.

It is going to be really interesting to go through the break in process while still owning a pair of skates that I am happy with. Even more interesting will be the comparison that I will be able to make between the HiLo frame (which has 3 -100mm wheels and one 84mm wheel) and my regular frame (which has 5 -84mm wheels). I am sure that after a while I am going to want to switch the frames on my two pair of skates for a further comparison of the merits of all the components.

It is both a beauty and a curse of skating that one cannot control all of the variables that contribute to a fast and comfortable outing. Besides the skates (model and condition), frames (length, # of wheels, size of wheels etc), wheels (size, hardness condition etc) and bearings (cleanliness, type) skaters have environmental factors like weather (temperature, wind, precipitation and pollution) and road conditions to consider when attempting to assess a new input (such as skates or frames). In addition, there are factors like where one is at in the training cycle and how you are feeling generally. One is never really sure of why a workout went so well, or so poorly.

I have only managed to get in one serious skate with the new package and I found it very strange indeed. I found that my stride cadence has to be faster with the HiLo frames –but this is not necessarily a bad thing (just something that will take some getting used to. The boots themselves seem a bit tight (probably a good thing) but there are some “hot spots” and some mysterious aches that I am going to have to deal with. Considering that I have some skates that I like I think it’s going to be a long and slow break-in period for the new skates.




July 15/04

I have settled into my summer routine. I am at the cottage on the weekends and in Toronto (working) during the week. Kathy and Kaylee are leading a life of luxury at the cottage. At the end of every summer, when Kathy returns to Toronto, she is always disappointed by the state of our lawns and gardens. She has no idea how hard it is to do gardening when I have so much important skating to do. Work gets in the way as well. Also, I only really have 4 nights in TO each week. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

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I have been keeping track of Toyota Tundras that I see on the road to see if they are being driven by men or women. (See entry of June 4th). Right now the count is 3 men and 1 woman. I recall from my university statistics course that I will have to get the sample size up to at least 30 before I can make any statistically significant conclusions about the drivership of Toyota Tundras. Taking a sample of Fords, GMs and Dodges will only take a day.

**************************************************

I have been struggling with my new skates because there is an annoying indentation on the inside of my right skate. I have had the skate in the oven (doing heat moulding) so many times that I have managed to shrink the insole. I had to craft a replacement out of an unused Toronto Blue Jays place mat. I am starting to realize that with heat moulding –you can get things to move in the intended direction but as soon as you heat up the skate to work on something else the tendency is for the skate to go back to its original shape. As a result, you have to try to do everything at once. This is no easy task when you are working alone with a hot skate.

Mid-month Skating Report: Skating has been going well. I’ve been to the gym twice, done 2 hill workouts, did a PB on my #1 route, entered my own event with a great time, and skated twice with my new skates and frames. As well, I have committed to helping Peter Doucet submit a proper traffic plan to the City of Mississuaga for the marathon skate on the race weekend. Hopefully TISC can avoid hiring a company to set up the traffic control for the marathon (to be held in August)–and thus save a considerable sum of money.




July 19/04

My brother Tom’s son Curtis (14) has just finished up a 3 week stay at the cottage (mostly with Kathy and Kaylee). He is a great kid and I see now why Kathy extended the invitation to him to visit. Kathy and Kaylee got to know Curtis last summer when he visited with his whole family. Kaylee’s friends on the lake welcomed him back this summer and showed him a little Ontario hospitality.

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Peterborough got hammered late last week by over 150mm of rain in a very short time. The Peterborough radio stations kept saying that there was more rain north of the city but at Stony Lake there did not seem to be an unusual amount of rain -thank goodness.

**************************************************

I had another rather lazy weekend but next weekend I intent to erect some scaffolding so that Kathy can paint the east side of the cottage. I am going to make the scaffolding (from scratch) from 2x4s and 2x10s. At least the ministry of Labour will not be visiting the site –but of course I will have to make it completely safe since my wife will be working up there.

**************************************************

I sent an email to Gillian requesting a spot in the TISC contingent to the Northshore Marathon in Duluth in September. I guess I have made the decision to go. The next decision will be which category to skate in –stay tuned.

**************************************************

On the third time out on my new skates and frames I turned in a pretty good time! I am starting to get the hang of how to skate with the HiLo frames. I am still getting blisters around my right ankle so it will still be a while before I will start to use the new skates most of the time.




July 20/04

Today it is 35 years since the first moon landing. Last January I made a weblog entry that highlighted some of my recollections: Of course, I remember well when the Americans landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren on the moon. I was 16 years old and I had just gotten my driver's license. I was at the cottage for the summer and my mother asked me to take the family car into Young's Point to get a new muffler. While I waited for the mechanic to do the work, I went into the adjoining restaurant and watched the liftoff. Since there was no TV at the cottage it was sort of accidental that I saw it and, of course, that is the very reason that I remember it now. Several days later, when they arrived at the moon the whole world was transfixed as the lunar module separated from the main ship and then made its way down to a safe landing on the moon. There was no video of any of this but NASA supplied the TV networks with an audio feed and the TV networks supplied additional commentary and animations. There were of course very poor quality pictures of the two astronauts jumping around on the moon and I got to see these at my friend Bob's cottage. The whole endeavor seemed pretty fantastic at the time and I think we know now, in light of the two shuttle tragedies, Apollo 13, and all the problems with landing probes on Mars, that the Americans were really lucky not to lose some men on one of those trips to the moon.

The most unbelievable thing is that humans have not been back to the moon in around 33 years. As I have said before, I am waiting for mainland China to send a crew there. That will wake up the Americans and start a new space race. I hope I live long enough to see the day when humans finally get to Mars.




July 26/04

Kathy got a birdie on the very first hole of her very first golf game. She had reluctantly agreed to play with a group of 16 women who form a bit of a gang during the summers at Stony Lake. Kathy teed off last in the first foursome so everyone was watching as she took her first ever golf shot. POW! She hit a Canada goose that was nibbling grass on the fairway.

When I asked how far the ball had travelled before it hit the poor bird I didn’t get an answer. Kathy reported that the the poor creature seemed to be OK.

Next day, I told Kathy that I had seen a Canada goose “flying with a limp”. She bought it –for about 2 seconds.

**************************************************

I spent the weekend erecting a scaffold system from 2x4s and 2x10s so that we can get going on painting the cottage. The side we have decided to paint first, the east side, is two stories high with a gable end and a high foundation. It’s about 30 feet to the peak. Putting up a 3 level scaffold (single handed) is the sort of macho undertaking that I just love. If Dad was still alive he would have spent at least a couple of hours “helping me” –and most of the rest of the day worrying that I would kill myself. The scaffold is solid and safe and Kathy will only have the weather as an excuse for not painting the entire east side of the cottage this week.

While I was putting up scaffolding, Kaylee, Kathy and mom were down at the Kawartha Park Regatta. They decided to enter the first race. It was a short canoe race for 3 generations of paddlers (all in the same family). The Duncan crew was the only all female team AND THEY WON! Kaylee figures that she basically pulled the whole boat to the finish line by herself. Kathy says she added a lot more propulsive power to the mix than Kaylee will ever know –and also managed to steer a pretty straight line. Mom was happy to get in an out of the canoe without creating a major incident and claims that she paddled pretty hard too. Mom has not taken off her ribbon for two days. She hasn’t won any athletic awards in at least 60 years.

Kaylee came close to winning the big prize for the whole regatta. Apparently, she would have won if she had placed in the parent and child race. She seems to think she could have pulled either one of her parents to at least a third place finish. Kaylee’s friends were highly impressed with her swimming and paddling exploits and started calling her “a beast”. She was flattered (thank goodness). ** I should mention that competitive swimmers usually make excellent paddlers because both sports are mostly about pulling with your arms. Since Kaylee has also been taking paddling lessons from Len Minty for the past 3 summers she is now a paddling force to be reckoned with.




July 28/04

Lance Armstrong won his 6th straight Tour de France. Clearly he is one of the greatest athletes of his generation –and I mean in any sport. After reading his book, I tend to believe that he is not on performance enhancing drugs.

I saw two strange animals run across the road when I was skating at the cottage last weekend. I guessed their weight to be 10-20 pounds and they were quite dark in colour. They must have been river otters because they were too big to be minks or weasels. In the past I have seen deer, turtles, snakes, a fox, a great blue heron, hawks and a bear (which I almost skated into) while out skating on my cottage route.




July 31/04

End of the Month Skating Report:

I skated a total of 21 times and went to the gym another 4 times in the month of July. I was a bit disappointed with my results in the National Marathon but I know why it happened (no anaerobic work) and I have been doing something about it (hills).

In one way this was a transition month because I have been breaking in my new skates. I have now skated 9 times on my new skates and frames and am starting to prefer them to the old ones. There is no doubt that the new skates are superior. The buckle is a really great addition to the new Pyrotechnics. I am getting used to the HiLo frame and I expect that, in the end, there is not much difference in performance between the HiLo and a regular 5x84mm frame. In a couple of weeks I will put the 5x84mm frame on the new skates to see if I can notice a difference. First I have to master the Hi Lo completely.

I have developed a problem with my left hip. Right now I am not sure if it is going to go away on its own or become a big problem. It’s keeping me from pushing things to the limit but this may not be such a bad thing.

Late in the month, I set a new PB on one of my longer routes. I was extra happy about this because, since it was a longer route, I figure that my conditioning is still improving. As well, I used my new skates to establish the PB! I paid the price in foot soreness but proved to myself that the new skates are fast.

In a weak (or strong?) moment I bought a plane ticket for Duluth and signed up for the Elite Category in the Northshore Marathon. During tough workouts I curse myself for signing up for the toughest division rather that the free ride I would get in the advanced category. There will be much more on this later.

 


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Weblog -August /2004

August 9/04

It has been a year since the big blackout of 2003. My memory of the event will always be this: I was in the drugstore getting three different prescriptions filled in order to help me cope with a herniated disk. Just as I was pulling out my wallet to pay -the lights went out. They immediately kicked everyone out of the store and I had to leave empty handed. I didn’t get my drugs for almost 24 hours. Even then, I only got them because I had enough cash to pay for them.

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My mother was sporting a “new” pair of blue jeans on the weekend. She bought them when she was pregnant with me so they fit her quite well now. She has moved that 52 year old pair of jeans at least 4 times but she has not worn them in all that time. I knew that both my mom and dad had “packrat" tendencies but I never new they carried it to this extreme.

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Kathy has managed to find enough days without rain that she has finally managed to paint the east side of the cottage. Next weekend I will be moving the scaffolding around to the back side. I expect that my friend David will give me a hand. Such macho pursuits are not normally David’s “thing” but I am sure he will rise to the task at hand when he realizes the importance. He and Teri will be visiting for the weekend.

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I have not skated very well the last few times out. The problem may be that I am totally stressed out by my job (at the moment). On the other hand, it may just be that by body needs a bit of a layoff and is taking a rest despite what my brain is telling it to do. These days, most of my “workouts” are done with the Northshore Marathon in mind. More on that later.

August 12/04

The highlight of the inline skating season for me will be the Northshore Marathon in Duluth Minnesota. I missed last year because I was injured. Here are two scenarios that could play out in the 2004 Northshore:

Scenario #1
Training goes well between now and September 18th. I line up at the start with most of the best over 35 skaters in North America and feel somewhat nervous and intimidated. The race begins and the really fast guys set a blinding pace. The lead pack is pretty big and this actually results in the evening out of the pace near the back of the pack. I hang out near the back, keeping an eye out for developing gaps but I only have to cover one or two and I manage (with great effort) to stick with the lead pack all the way to the end. I am out sprinted by almost everyone in the mad dash for the finish line but I cross the line with a huge grin on my face because I am almost certain that I have achieved my goal of beating the fastest time for the advance men and in doing so I have lowered my PB by several minutes.

Scenario #2
Training does not go well between now and September 18th. I line up at the start with most of the best over 35 skaters in North America and feel extremely nervous and intimidated. The race begins and the really fast guys set a blinding pace. The pack strings out and a gap opens up in front of me. I do my best to close the gap but I just can’t keep the pace and the leaders slip away into the distance. I am skating with one or two others but they are disappointed with the turn of events and are not interested in taking any good pulls. I take off in frustration but quickly burn out and end up skating with that pathetic lot. We are overtaken by the elite women, elite masters women and eventually by the advanced men skaters. I am so burned out that I can’t even stay with the advance men and I end up melding with a trailing pack of advanced men. I finish the race while contemplating how I will end my own life.

I suppose that the end result will be somewhere in between these extremes. I will find out in mid-September.

I would say that the best moment (so far) in my inline skating career was at my first Northshore race in 2001. I entered the advanced category and somehow managed to stick with the lead pack for the entire race. I finished in 1:16:47, taking 17 minutes off my previous best time and was on a high for 2 weeks after the event.

In 2002 I entered the advanced category again to see if what I had done the year before was a fluke. That time I was strong enough to skate very near the front of the pack and it was clear to me that I was one of the strongest skaters up there. I finished 11th overall (as opposed to around 47th the year before) but easily won my age category and, in fact, was the fastest skater over 40.

Before I hurt myself, I entered the 2003 Northshore in the elite (masters) category with the stated goal of doing a better time than all of the advanced men. This pretty well meant that I would have to stick with the main pack for the duration of the race. Needless to say, the level of competition is higher despite the fact that all the skaters are over 35. Of course, I will never know for sure how I would have faired but I am reasonably confident, (after looking over the results) that I would have managed to achieve my goal.

This year is a bit of a different story. I am skating well in my individual workouts and have managed to lower most of my route times. But good pulls do not necessarily lead to good marathon results as I clearly saw at the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa and again in the National Marathon in Cambridge. What I found in those races is that I could not handle the inevitable surges that take place at that level of marathon skating. This is understandable since I had not been doing any anaerobic work.

For the past few weeks, I have been incorporating some anaerobic work into my skating but I am finding that it is difficult to push myself when I am only racing against myself. That is one of the most important things that TISC practices have to offer at this point –but I just have not been managing to get out to them this year.

I signed up for the elite category of the Northshore Marathon right after a very good workout. I am starting to fret about this already and I hope I will be more inspired in my workouts. Keeping things in perspective, the absolute worst thing that could happen is that I do get dropped early by the main pack and then end up getting overtaken by the advanced men’s lead pack (which will start several minutes later). Only my self-esteem will be damaged and there are those who would say that that would not be such a bad thing.

August 16/04

Mid–month Inline Skating Report

Skating has been going fairly well. My left hip is not bothering me quite as much but I have not been skating as much as in past years. I have recently switched the frames on my skates (I now have my old skates together with the monster-truck frames (Amy’s term) and the new skates with the 5x84mm frames). It is still too soon to determine if one setup is superior. My weight is down all the way to 165 lbs and the bulge around my middle is gone. That will last for about a month -before I start to pack on my winter fat. I have been doing a bit of anaerobic stuff (not much) and hope to ramp up that aspect of my training in the next few weeks. Today I found that Lanny and Andres are entered in my category in Duluth. Well dammit –if they can do it then so can I!

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I almost never watch sports on TV but I do enjoy watching the Olympics. Canadians (and Americans for that matter) are doing quite poorly –but that is understandable. Competition is getting tougher. I hope we get one “Canadian moment” like when Simon Whitfield won the triathlon in Sydney or Donovan Bailey -the 100 meter dash in 96.

August 19/04

I have been wondering whether my poor performance in my last couple of marathons may have been partly due to too much rest.

For me, a very good marathon performance often comes on the heels of a 10k race (like in Ottawa (until this year) or the Canadian outdoor track championships (as in 2003)). Looking back through my training logs, it appears that my very best outings take place when I have skated hard perhaps 3 of the 4 preceding days. I think that as the Northshore approaches I will skate more –rather than less.

But it is important to taper –at the same time! I will do this by working pretty hard in the 4th and 3rd weeks before the race but taking things easy in the second week preceding. In the week before the race I won’t go out and kill myself –but I will push a little harder than I have been before recent marathons.

August 20/04

I am not going to the cottage this weekend because it is my turn to “do a bingo”. I suspect that most parents with active kids will have a pretty good idea of what I will be up to on Saturday night. Doing bingos is one of the best ways that small groups can raise money. I would really rather just pay more to support Kaylee’s swim club (and avoid the bingos) but it is not really an option.

Anyway, I have to be in TO between 5pm and 10pm on Saturday. The result is that it is not even worth fighting the traffic to and from the cottage for such a small chunk of time at the lake. Instead, I will make the most of my only weekend in Toronto for the summer.

Tonight I will go to work, for a short time, at the Park Hyatt Hotel where a couple of our labourers will finish the demolition work that has been a major source of headaches for the past two months. Tomorrow I hope to skate in a TBN inline skate marathon. It will be a big, fun training run for the Northshore Marathon and I would expect to meet up with some of my TISC friends for the “race”. Later on Saturday I will do the bingo. On Sunday I will catch up on my sleep and, if I feel up to it, I will go over to Toronto Island to check out the trails!

August 25/04

We had our “Canadian moment” at the Olympics and it wasn’t pretty. Perdita Felicien, the reigning word champion in the hurdles (and a true Canadian sweetheart), hit the first hurdle solidly with her foot and went down. She took out the Russian hurdler on her right as she tumbled to the track. All of Canada is in mourning.

The Americans picked up their performances and are now leading in the medal count. But I predict that in Beijing, China will win more medals than any other country.

August 27/04

I have resolved to skate all of the routes that I have reviewed on my website before the end of the season so I am going to be busy doing that. There are also some routes that people have suggested that I want to try. I have already covered some new ground this year so I will have a busy winter updating the route reviews.

I went to a particularly hard (for me) TISC practice and have been paying for it in the last couple of days. I am all the more convinced that it is next to impossible to skate marathons at the speed to which I have become accustomed without going to a practice every week because it is virtually impossible to push yourself to the limits imposed by a club workout.

It appears that the organizers of the Northshore Marathon are trying to push up all of the best advanced skaters into the elite category. This is going to make for quite a scramble in the elite category for the first few miles. I hope that I survive unscathed.


August 30/04

Today Lindsay had all 4 of her “wisdom” teeth extracted. She is doing OK but the next few days will be no fun. On Friday she is going on a canoe trip with some of her classmates at Western. It will take the place of a term-long activity class (she’s in Phys Ed) and take a bit of pressure off during the year. She is going to be a bit weak (because of her teeth) but I am sure that she will show some of those macho males how to handle a canoe –both on the water and on the portage.

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Amy lost her wallet and did not know where. Then a call came in from the TTC lost and found. I told her not to expect to get the cash back but every cent was returned. I figure that the wallet must have passed through a minimum of 3 hands before she got it back. My faith in human nature has risen a little.

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The Olympics are over. In the end, Canada got 3 golds, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals. The golds went to Kyle Shewfelt on the floor exercise (Gymnastics), _____________ in the pursuit race on the track (cycling), and Dan Koeverdan? in the 500m kayak sprint. We got silvers in men’s sailing, men’s doubles kayak, women’s mountain bike, men’s platform diving, women’s wrestling and one other that I can’t recall. They have already fired the National Swim Coach since we did not get any swimming medals at all.

The hue and cry about the lack of Canadian medals toward the end of the Olympics was totally predictable. The fact is that Canadians do not put a high value on most of the sports in the Olympic Games –especially when it comes to opening our wallets to give a little support to promising individuals. This is not going to change in my lifetime.


August 31/04

End of the Month Skating Report:

I had my ups and downs this month. I got out a total of 20 times. At the beginning of the month I was skating decently well and in the middle portion I was doing very well indeed –as I logged a couple of “best times” on my favorite route (Sunnybrook Park). I guess I overdid it a bit near the end of the month. I did a TBN marathon (fast) and followed it up with a really tough TISC workout only 3 days later. That, plus some other skating seems to have taken a big toll. It also did not help that the weather late in August was pretty wet and I couldn’t even get out to limber up. The last two skates of the month were pathetic. However, I have enough experience to know that, I am in a recovery stage and things will get better in a few days or a couple of weeks. Perhaps I will be able to hit my peak at the Northshore Marathon.

My left hip is bothering my less than a month ago but my back is getting sore again.

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Weblog -September /2004

September 8/04

All four women in my life are back to school. Kathy is back to teaching and Kaylee has started high school. Lindsay and Amy have been delivered to their respective universities (and my line of credit is ballooning).

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I will have to make a very important decision in the next few days –whether or not to shave my legs! Almost all of the elite skaters in Duluth will shave their legs to make themselves more streamlined, to aid the healing process if they should pick up some “road rash” and because it feels “so darned good”. That may not be a direct quote but it reflects the sentiment that Aaron, my old TISC coach, has tried to convey to me in the past.

On the “go for it” side of the argument is the (I think rather minimal) chance that I will actually be able to skate faster and perhaps the desire to let my sense of adventure run wild. On the “don’t do it side” is the thought that somehow the guys at work would find out or perhaps the outside chance that the experience will lead me to discover my feminine side and onward toward a prolonged slide into unimaginable debauchery.

The “temptation” to shave my legs brings to mind my university diving career. Back in those days diving was part of the swimming program. At the first big swim meet that I attended I was shocked to find myself as one of only a few hairy chested competitors in the pool. All the swimmers had shaved their arms, armpits, legs, chests and even their backs in a few cases. Apparently they have a big “shave down” in the showers after the last practice before departing for the meet. Back then, I was really happy not to be invited to that party. Little did I realize that, years later the issue of shaving body parts would come back to haunt me.

On CHUM FM they are forever making jokes about aging gentlemen in Speedo bathing suits when they do their annual trip to Barbados. Well, that mental image is bad enough but even worse is the sight of men my age wearing skin suits. It really is sad what the aging process does to the human body.

So there is my dilemma. Should I feel that I have already strayed too far along the wrong path as I struggle into my skin suit or should I carry things forward and show up with legs shaved? Will I be able to halt the downhill slide into a life of hedonism and otherwise despicable living or will I next be contemplating painting my toenails? I’m not sure I have the strength to fight off the darkness.

September 10/04

Dad’s birthday and mom and dad’s anniversary. Dad would have been 83 and married for 55 years.

September 11/04

Today Kathy and I attended a party to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Uncle Jim and Aunt Peggy. Uncle Jim is my mother's brother and we are pretty close to them since they live in their cottage only a short distance from our own. The party was at Jim and Peg's cottage and was a great success. Kathy's fears that I was going dressed in a far too casual manner turned out to be unfounded.

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Today is also the 3rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the US. In those 3 short years the US has invaded two foreign countries with dubious results and managed to increase hatred of the US quite substantially in most of the Arab world.

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I went down (crashed) on my "rollerblades" for the first time this season. I was on a fairly narrow path in the Don Valley and there was a very tight, mostly blind, 90 degree right turn -leading onto a pedestrian bridge crossing the river. I couldn't see the early morning dew sitting on the wooden planking of the bridge deck until it was much too late. My feet went out from under me and I landed on my right hip and elbow. I hopped up quickly with only my ego damaged and continued with what turned out to be a very good skate. I am thankful that I did not hurt my shoulder since I have already damaged both shoulders in past falls and they take a long time to heal.

September 12/04

I picked up Kaylee's new grade 9 English textbook and was pleased to find it very much more interesting and relevant to today's world than any of the textbooks that I had in grade 9. With a good teacher, Kaylee's English course would be a good one.

One article in the textbook was an excerpt from Ken Dryden's book "The Game". Dryden basically says that professional hockey players (and by extension all pro athletes) are only special in one way -that being their ability to play a game. In all other ways they are just ordinary people. However, the rewards heaped on these athletes are totally out of proportion to their value as individuals. It's not just the money but the adoration of millions and the elevation to hero status (usually undeserved) that goes to their heads.

I have never been able to watch professional sports on TV for more than a few minutes. I find that I just don't care what the outcome of the game is or how it unfolds. Dad used to point out that pro athletes were just luckier than everyone else because they were born with the physical attributes to excel in a sport that could make them a lot of money. Perhaps it was Dad who ruined a budding enthusiasm for watching TV sports but if he did, then -I am thanking him now.

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Speaking of professional sports –Mike Weir failed to hold onto a 3 stroke lead going into the final round of the Canadian Open (golf tournament) and ended up coming second to VJ Singh after a few playoff holes.

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I have received advice on both sides of the leg shaving “issue”. Kaylee and my mother are against –Graeme Huycke and family are for. Kathy is “OK” with it as long as I stay away from her when the “nubbies” are at an awkward length. Now what's fair about that?

Despite her opposition, my mother gave me dad’s old electric razor! Until then it had not occurred to me that it would not be necessary for me to sit in a warm bath and shave my legs with a disposable razor while the leg hairs floated all around in big clumps. This reduces my aversion to the process of shaving my legs but does not change anything else.

September 14/04

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDSAY!!! Today is my daughter Linday’s 21st birthday. She was coaching in the early evening and then I missed her call because I was soaking in the bathtub (no –not shaving my legs). She got a leather jacket from her roommates that she is very happy with. Now she is going out to celebrate.

Lindsay is back at the University of Western Ontario for her 3rd year. She is going to coach a synchro team at the London Synchro club and will also (no doubt) maintain a high average as she continues her quest to get into medical school.

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Canada just won the World Cup Hockey final against Finland. It might be the last hockey for awhile because of a players strike. I predict that the players will cave in before Xmas.

I learned later that it is the league that has locked out the players. I still say that the players will cave.

September 16/04

Here are some comments I have received regarding the leg shaving thing.

Wow - what a site. . . Have a great time in Minnesota. Shave your legs. Of all people, you ought not to be worried about your manhood. Good luck. (GH)

Read your September blog. Live a little and shave your legs for Pete's sake. You're the last person on earth who will discover his "feminine" side!!!!!!!!!! (DW)

Well I haven't read your blog in a while...and after reading it I remember why! (Just Kidding)! I have to say that i am never disappointed when I finally decide I am bored enough to visit your website :).

You're one funny guy...and for the record I think that you should shave your legs for the race. Oh ya, and if you do decide to do it use Kaylee's Venus razor...It'll "reveal the goddess in you" (AD) (daughter)

“I dare you” [you big wimp]” (wife)

NO WAY! DON’T YOU DARE! DON’T EVER THINK ABOUT IT! I’LL NEVER TALK TO YOU AGAIN! (KD) (daughter)

"I didn't realize that you had a sense of humour until I read your September blog. You hid it well for 52 years. By the way, Happy Birthday!" (RD) (brother)

I love the sight of smooth legs on a man....yummy! (JG)

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I almost crashed again and this time I said a little prayer as things were unfolding. I caught an edge in a long straight groove in an interlocking brick section of the Martin Goodman Trail –just as the path is coming around a bend. I flew off the path in a flash and went running (on my skates) through a bush and garden. As I went through the bush I prayed that there would be nothing on the other side that would slow me down in Duluth. My prayers were answered and I emerged unscathed –except my ego (again). Perhaps there is a god after all.

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I took out the electric razor to shave my legs but the battery had to be charged. I plugged it in but then it disappeared (Kaylee was the culprit). It’s still charging. Time is running out. Tommorow we go.

September 22/04

I had a tremendous race in Duluth at the Northshore Marathon. I came very close to winning some money. Things could have gone a little smoother enroute to the race however. I lost a skate buckle on the way to the airport and the flight to Thunder Bay took off 3 hours late. This caused a bit of a scramble to get to the race expo. However, my travel mates Gillian, Caroline, Stephen and I managed to pick up our race kits, shop for equipment (including a skate buckle) and wolf down a spaghetti dinner before heading to our hotel rooms for final preparations and sleep.

Next morning I stuffed an improperly capped water bottle into my back pack and it ended up soaking everything. I discovered the problem on the dark and bumpy school bus ride to the start line and as I re-sorted my equipment I somehow lost my right wristguard.

I was undeterred by my little problems and upon reflection I think they may have served as a useful distraction because for the first time ever I was not nervous at the start line. I was keyed up and psyched –but not nervous.

The race was great. My goal was to beat the time of the fastest Advanced man by skating in the Elite (Pro) Veteran’s category. I had made the decision to move up to the top level on my own but apparently I would have been forced up regardless. The pace in the elite veterans division was pretty fast but not unduly so. As with all high level races there were big surges (where someone would break away and be chased down by the pack) followed by short periods where everyone would stand up while waiting for somebody else to take the lead.

I took up my usual position near the back of the pack. All the starters stuck together to about the 6 mile mark when there was a particularly strong surge. I saw a gap open up further up the line and skated around several others to close it. I was the only one to manage it and the main pack lost a sizable number. Over the next 10-12 miles I covered several more gaps as they opened up but the trailing guys mostly managed to catch up as well.

After I had covered a few gaps I realized that, for the first time this year, I was in full command of my “best stuff” and I decided that I would see how many of these guys I could beat to the finish line. We were now down to around 25 skaters from around 45 that had started.

We started to overtake a lot of burned out Masters and Pro skaters but none of them joined our pack. This was largely due to the fact that there were quite a few tough looking guys on motorcycles driving around and preventing cross-category drafting. I seemed to work pretty well but I heard there were some problems further back.

As usual, I was watching the mileposts and predicting our finishing time. At the 22 mile mark we were averaging 2:57 minutes per mile and heading for a time of around 1:17+. It didn’t look like there would be a PB for me as I did this race in 1:16:47 in 2001.

As the race reached the last few miles I showed my face at the front of the pack for the first time. Things were getting serious but not really dirty. There was a lot of jockeying for position but everyone was still getting back into line when they wanted. As we started up the final ramp I found myself pretty far back –outmanoeuvred again! I started my final charge on the ramp and felt strong as I passed a few skaters. I passed a couple more on the downhill stretch and perhaps another 2 or three on the straightaway before the final turn. As the finish line came into view I realised that I was boxed in. I was going much faster than the skaters ahead and would easily pass them if I could find a space. A small opening came to view a little to the right and I went for it. It seemed that I would finish about 7th. Then my right skate clicked someone else’s and WHAM –down I went –only about 20 yards from the end. I scraped myself off of the concrete and staggered across the finish line. I had lost about 7 seconds and 10 positions. Later, I found out that I had contacted Stephen Kenney’s skate. I am glad that he didn’t go down too. It would have been my fault. The prise money extends only to the first 10 places so I was out of the money.

The first thing I did after crossing the finish line was to stop my watch and discover that I had actually managed a new PB (1:16:34). The pace had quickened considerably in the last few miles. I had intended to watch the advanced men finish to see if their times were better than mine but I decided to go to the medical tent instead. I found out later that I had indeed beaten all the Advanced Men.

The second thing I did after crossing the finish line was to examine my injuries. I had cuts on my right pinky and palm, a sprained right wrist (no wristguard!) and road rash on my left knee and both forearms. I headed for the medical tent. Next day I added a sore right shoulder and tricep to the list.

Almost everyone at the finish line was on a high because most skaters had set PBs. I don’t believe that the wind was much of a factor but some thought that there must have been a little help from the wind. If the race had been held later in the day or on the next morning there would have been some terrific times because the wind came around to the east. Some year it will happen.
September 24/04

My injuries from Duluth have been bugging my quite a bit. The worst one is my left knee because the scab seals itself up every night and every day it breaks open when I bend my knee. But the knee will be better long before my right wrist which I expect will be bothering me for a couple of months. As well, the scab on my right forearm is irritating –but a good conversation initiator.

Scabs always remind me of the “theory" of plate tectonics (continental drift) because of the way they float around on top of your skin –just like the continents float on top of the earth’s mantle.

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I am paying less for my flight to Los Angels (to skate in Long Beach) that I paid to fly to Thunder Bay. It is always a mystery to me how Air Canada comes up with their fair structure.

September 26/04

This is the first weekend in 3 months that I would consider to be “normal”. That is, that we are spending a quiet weekend in Toronto. Kathy is trying to get the house back in shape after the neglect that she is convinced it received from Amy and me all summer long. Because I have a sore knee and wrist there were a lot of housecleaning chores that I couldn’t do but Kathy still managed to find lots of things that I could do. I know what she was thinking. “Funny how he can’t do housework but he can still go out skating and he can still play on the computer”.

Among other things I managed to skate a couple of routes in Scarborough that will get reviews on my website (one pretty good one) and I gave Amy a ride back to Hamilton where I helped her hang some curtains.

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It is time to lay the leg shaving thing to rest. I had a lot of fun with it. For the record:
1) I did an informal survey of legs in the over 35 year group in Duluth and I would say that only about 40% of the legs were hairless. This brings into question the “everybody does it” argument that I got from an already named coach of mine.
2) I forgot to mention the “intimidation factor” which was put forward by the same gentleman. According to this theory, having hairless legs makes the muscles in your legs stand out more than usual and intimidates you opponents into thinking that they can’t beat you.
3) Finally, I think I now have an understated the value of having shaved legs when you pick up some “road rash”. I am finding this out first hand as I struggle with the road rash on the top of my (hairy) right forearm. If I knew what a pain in the butt that scab (an especially the arm hairs sticking out of it) would be I would have been happy to shave my arms as well as my legs.

September 28/04

At the cottage, and especially at my Mom’s cottage, we always have a great view of the rising moon. For the last 2 days I have had an excellent view of the setting full moon as I drive westbound along the Danforth on the way to work in the early morning darkness. It was a nice little bonus provided my Mother Nature at the beginning of each day.

On the subject of astronomy I have been noticing the constellation Orion (or as Uncle Ian would say –O’Brien’s) in the southern sky in the early morning. This is a sure sign of fall. Often I don’t notice Orion until late October or November when it is more or less in the western sky. Orion is my favourite constellation. Sagittarius is second and Ursa Major is 3rd.

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I got an email suggesting that I should purchase some pretty bad pictures of myself in the Northshore Marathon. There is a really pathetic one of me crossing the finish line, all alone, looking pretty distraught and holding onto my glasses. I had completely forgotten that when I fell down, only a few yards short of the line, I had discovered my glasses on the concrete just in front of me and had picked them up before springing to my feet and staggering across the line. It took the picture to jog my memory.

September 30/04

End of the Month Skating Report

September has been a fine month. The weather was excellent and I recovered nicely from the “low” that I was on when I started the month. I decided early in the month that, by the end of the season, I would skate all of the routes that I have reviewed on my site. I have now done them all but I am also committed to check out a couple of “new” routes that people have told me about.

Late in August I put the 100-84-100-100 (monster truck) frames back on my new skates –thus making the commitment to use both the new skates and frames in Duluth. I like the big wheels on the shorter frame because I seem to push more with my heels and my wheels last significantly longer, even though there are fewer of them. I love my new skates now that they are broken in. The buckle is a great addition to the Pyrotechnic.

I skated very well at the Northshore Marathon and my confidence has received a big boost. I seem to have regained that “top gear” that was missing in the two marathon attempts earlier in the year. Perhaps a better term for my newly regained gear would be “overdrive”.

I have decided to enter one final race this year –Long Beach (near LA California). I love to have a race on the horizon because it gives me focus for my workouts. I will have to “taper” again for Long Beach so I will not be able to push myself very hard for much longer.

My left hip has hardly been bothering me at all. I have gone from thinking that my skating career is almost over to wondering what the heck caused the problem. In fact, my left knee has been a bigger problem lately –but it is really more of a nuisance than a serious injury. I can skate without pain when my knee is bothering me (by skating lower) but this causes pain of a different sort.

I have managed to keep my weight steady at 167 (I think that the 165 from last month was an anomaly). I have let the gym workouts slide but fully intend to get back into it after Long Beach. Perhaps things at work will start to settle down soon –I certainly hope so.  

Ed's Sk8toronto Website

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Weblog -October /2004

October 3/04

Yesterday was Kaylee's 14th birthday! We spent the weekend at the cottage and since none of Kaylee's cottage friends are up this weekend she invited Brittany and Sam from Toronto.

Kaylee seems to have adjusted well to grade 9 at Malvern Collegiate where she has followed in the footsteps of her two older sisters. Her friends can't understand how all the teachers learned her name so quickly -but they are mostly oldest siblings or only children.

Kaylee’s main extra-circular activity is speed swimming. Since mid-September Kaylee has been rising on weekdays at 5am and on weekends at 6am in order to be delivered by an unlucky parent to her practices. Kaylee has also joined the X-country team at Malvern and practices every day after school. These two activities have been making evenings around the Duncan house pretty quite this year. There are times when we are all in bed by 9pm.

I am thinking back to the day on which Kaylee was born. It was a planned caesarian birth and somehow the attending nurse knew that Kathy's parents were hanging around the hospital waiting to see if everything was OK. The nurse bundled up Kaylee, handed her to me, and dispatched us to find the grandparents. I was pretty surprised to be walking around the hospital with a 10 minute old baby and the in-laws were pretty surprised too.


October 4/04

I received a tragic letter to my website email address. Normally I answer letters to my website in confidence but I am going to post this letter and my response because of the serious nature of the letter. Here it is:

Hello,

I was very interested when I came across your website earlier this evening. It seems that you have profound knowledge of all things skating so I am hoping to recruit your assistance with a severe 'in-line catastrophe' of mine.

My problem is on the social side of the in-line skating world as opposed to the technical side. A few years ago my father began in-line skating recreationally. He very soon realized that he would like to pursue this sport beyond the recreational level. He joined a club in order to facilitate his further involvement in the sport. It was around this time that the problems began. A simple enjoyment of roller-blading became a full fledged obsession with 'in-line' skating. With the advice of his fellow club members, my dad began to go wild with purchases; he bought 5 wheel skates, clap skates, heat mold boots, a skin suit -the works! What you must understand is that these purchases are far from economical. It is important to note that as a child, if my father gave me one dollar to buy a 99 cent slurpee at our neighbourhood 7-11, he would expect the penny change to be returned to him with no delay. But it is not his frivolous purchases that have pushed me to seek help. Actually there is really just one thing that has crossed the line and sparked great concern among my father's friends and family members. My dad, shaved his legs in the name of faster in-line skating.

Please help! This situation has gotten out of hand and I can only fear the worst for my father.

Thanks (LD)

Dear Fearful,

Your problem will soon solve itself! When a man who has full grown children goes as far as to don a skin suit and shave his legs you know that his "quest for speed" is almost over. This is because the marginal increase in speed gained through these rather desperate measures will be more than offset by the decrease in aerobic output that his aging body will endure as a natural part of the aging process. Your father is bound to become increasingly frustrated by his "lack of progress" and will soon be back to the good old penny-pinching, non-skating-addicted man that you learned to love.

Be warned, however, that your father clearly has an addictive personality. He will likely get carried away with some other rather ridiculous activity soon after giving up competitive inline skating. Hopefully his new interest will not be as self destructive and damaging to his family as the last.

Ed Duncan
(Self-appointed Inline Helpline Director)


October 5/04

It’s only a few days until Saturday when I will hop on a plane and fly to Los Angeles CA to enter the marathon out in Long Beach. Skating has been going pretty well with a mixture of easy days, fast days and rest days. There is no reason to think that I will not be able to match my performance in Duluth. Of course, the dynamics of the race will be different because the 45+ age group (Veterans) will be skating with the 35+ group (Masters). This will likely mean a faster pace and a much stronger chance that there will be a break. I would be wise to skate closer to the front in this race but I will have to see whether anyone will let me in or not. At least I will have my team-mate, Herb, who I know will help me out if he can.

I am feeling a little guilty about being away at Thanksgiving but the rest of the family is not rubbing it in too much. I will be back for Monday but I am likely to spend part of the day trying to catch up on my sleep.

I have picked off most of the scabs that I acquired in Duluth at the finish line and expect that they will all be gone by the weekend. I really hope that I can emerge from the Long Beach marathon without road rash because I have to sit on a plane for 4 hours later on race day to get back home.


October 7/04

Last week, I had to put out a fire at work. I am talking about a real fire –not the figurative kind. We had a welder on site, working on some steel beams and things were pretty dry around the area where he was working. I guess a spark started a little grass fire and then spread to a pile of brush that was lying nearby. When I saw what was happening the smoke was getting pretty heavy and there was little chance of stamping out the flames. I was on the wrong side of a tall chain link fence so I tried to get some labourers to fling the branches to a safe area but they would only stand around like dummies. Then I remembered that we have a fire extinguisher on site (it’s my job to make sure) and I ran to the container to get it. I was amazed how easily the extinguisher put out the fire -even spraying through the chain link fence.

Usually the fires that I put out are only figurative. “Fighting fires” is a term we use at work to say that we have had to deal with unexpected events. When jobs are properly planned there is very little fire fighting required but when there is too much work or the nature of the work is unfamiliar fire fighting becomes more frequent. The most exhausting days are the ones that you spend fighting fires all day long.

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I finally got around to skating “Lanny’s route” on Poplar Plains Road and Russell Hill Road near Avenue Road and Saint Clair. I wanted to try it out because I am working really close to that area and once Standard time comes back at the end of the month it will be difficult to squeeze in a skate on the way home from work. Thanks to Stephen Fischer for showing me the route.

The loop only takes 5-6 minutes but it is a lot of fun because Poplar Plains is all up and Russell Hill is a big downhill. Both are one way streets. There are bike paths on each road which legitimise skating to some extent and make things a little safer. Still -the proximity of cars, driveways and side streets make it a risky route especially at high speed.


October 11/04

I am back from Long Beach. I had a great weekend. I did very well in the race and enjoyed the experience of visiting Southern California for the first time in almost 30 years. I will report on the race itself in a day or two but first I will just describe the trip.

My friend and team mate Herb Gayle was kind enough to let me rid along on his coattails and I signed up for the same flights to and from LA. Early on Saturday morning Kathy gave us both a ride to the airport. The flight was uneventful and I got well into the first book that I have picked up in a few months –"The Da Vinci Code". Herb showed me how to catch public transit from LA airport all the way out to Long Beach which is really just a section of Greater LA. The view from the plane as we landed and took off and the transit ride (which was all above ground) was the only look I had of LA except for what I saw on foot around Long Beach itself. You can’t expect more from a 28 hour visit.

We made our way to the race Expo where I decided to purchase some 100mm wheels and a set of Swiss BSB bearings –both at great prices. Herb had some problems with his registration and a little trouble finding his Ohio buddies but things worked out and we parted company. I set out to find the Vagabond Inn, a hotel which Stephen Fisher had managed to find when he discovered that the Queen Mary was fully booked. I found the hotel very near the center of marathon activities and then went out for a leisurely skate along the concrete bike path that runs along the beach and is part of the marathon course.

I had a shower, slept a little, and ate Chinese food for dinner. Stephen showed up around 8pm after spending the afternoon with his family and was clearly pumped for the race. We stayed up a bit later than I would have (had I been alone) but I had no trouble falling asleep quite early in the evening. I didn’t even attempt to adjust to California time and never set my watch to Pacific Time.

I awoke around 4pm (7am Eastern) and lay awake until 5 when I got up and prepared for the race. The story of the race will be posted soon. Afterwards I hung around the finish line talking to other competitors and waiting for Stephen. I didn’t see him finish and after an hour or so I figured I had missed him and went back to the hotel for a shower. He was there already, in a bad mood because he had had a bad race.

I guess you have to have a bad race every now and then. Otherwise, it wouldn’t feel half as good when you really do well.

I did the pancake breakfast and awards ceremony with Stephen and then hooked up with Herb for the return journey. By the time we landed in Toronto I was almost half way through "The Da Vinci Code".

**************************************************

The Long Beach Marathon was one of my best races ever although my time would not really indicate that fact.

As I went through my “race package”, back at the hotel I discovered that things would not quite be as expected. I had signed up as a Pro Veteran (45+) but expected to be skating with both the Pro Masters (35+) and the Pro Veterans This would mean a faster pace than the Vets alone would accomplish but I was still hoping to hang with the lead pack.

Instead, all of the pro skaters were lumped together. This meant that, with all the young guys in the mix, the start was going to be blazingly fast. My problem now was to find the right pack to skate with. If I went out too slowly I would “miss my ride”. If I chased the fast guys too hard I would “blow up” and probably do even worse.

I knew I was in trouble as soon as the gun went off because I found the concrete road surface to be very bumpy and I was not at all comfortable with the pace I needed to maintain. I lost contact with the really fast guys within a few hundred meters when a big gap opened up in the pelaton ahead of me. I knew that I could not bridge the gap at this pace. I saw team mates Herb Gayle and Dennis Lo disappear into the distance. I was disappointed.

I skated with the chase pack for a few hundred meters and then a guy passed me on the right –going at a good clip. I had recovered from my initial oxygen debt and decided to latch onto him. I drafted the poor guy for quite a distance –perhaps almost a mile and then we came to an uphill (a bridge over some water). I quickly realized he was not a climber and I went around him and up the hill. I never saw him again. I chased down a couple of guys up ahead and the 3 of us reeled in another straggler. After a little while I caught a glimpse of Herb and 3 other skaters about 50 meters ahead. We were closing anyway but I took a good pull and the two groups merged. Now we had a pack of eight and I was feeling much better about my chances for a good race.

Herb was very helpful. He encouraged me and others to take some pulls and he wouldn’t let me go the back of the pack where I feel most comfortable. During the race he let me in several times and I came to realize that I always had a place to get in if I needed one. Herb also shared some water with me and this saved me the trouble of trying to get a “handoff” at 20mph.

We started onto the bicycle path that runs along the back edge of Long Beach and were disappointed to discover bike riders all over the path. Cycling is one of the marathon events but this year they had only given the riders a 45 minute head start.The cyclists turned the race into an obstacle course –to borrow a phrase from Herb. We persisted in making our way through the maze and finally managed to chase down a pack of roughly 10 skaters near the end of the bike path at around the 10 mile mark. Now we were about 20 strong and this group stayed together for the rest of the race. I felt lucky to be skating in this company. These guys were clearly all good skaters. It seemed that most were Masters but there were a few young guys as well. I figured that I was the very last skater who had managed to catch this pack (I came from farther back than anyone else). I knew that there were other decent skaters behind us because Herb called out to some of them a couple of times when the course turned 180 degrees and we got a look at who was following.

The quality of the skating surface left a lot to be desired. As well, some parts of the road were wet (or at least had that appearance). There were lots of places where sprinkler systems had created puddles of water for the skaters to deal with. And it was pretty windy. These things together with the cyclists kept the pace far below what it could have been it other circumstances. I am told that last year's times were about 5 minutes faster.

I didn’t have much hope of beating many of these guys to the finish line and I wasn’t too worried about it. I came in near the back of my pack -two positions behind Herb but only 5 second back of the leader. It turned out that our pack darned near overtook Dennis Lo and Barry Publow who had fallen off the back of the first pack. My time was 1:18:36. That is my second best non-Northshore time for a marathon and a fine time under the circumstances. I came 13th in the Masters. I was the 3rd Veteran. The Finish
From left to right: Neal Lucey, Herb Gayle,and me. This shot is blurry but I like it because it shows me on my outside edge -even while skating at top speed and when I was clearly tired.


October 14/04

It’s only 3 weeks to the US presidential election and all 3 of the TV debates are over. John Kerry seems to have come out slightly on top in the debates and has a chance of beating Bush in the election. I am hoping that George junior is a one term president –just like his old man.

************************************************

When I was in Long Beach I couldn’t believe what a popular vehicle the Toyota Tundra pickup truck was. I saw 4 being driven (all by men) in the 28 hours that I was there. I also saw two parked ones. In the 5 months since I have had mine (OK –my company one) I have only seen another 10 on the road in and around Toronto.

I am still keeping track of the drivership of Toyota Tundra pickups that I see. For an explanation of why I would do this go to my Blog entries of June 4/04 and July 15/04. The count is now 14 men and 1 woman.

************************************************

The two guys that I spent most of last weekend with are truly unique individuals. Their characters are very different but they share one thing –a passion for inline skating.

I travelled to and from Long Beach with Herb Gayle. Herb was the first person to introduce himself when I joined TISC and is probably the friendliest person that I know. Herb loves to compete on his inlines and spends almost every weekend between May and October going to races all over North America. Everyone in the sport knows Herb Gayle. Herb is a high school music teacher in his real life.

Stephen Fisher came into inline racing at a relatively old age (I think he is 59). This year he had a couple of “breakthrough” marathons –placing very well at the Toronto Inline Race Weekend and in Duluth at the Northshore Marathon. Stephen spends some of his time teaching inline skating to beginner and intermediate “rollerbladers”. A decade ago Stephen was one of the top few Scrabble players in North America and earned a living as a professional Scrabble player.


October 17/04

I really did a lot this weekend. On Friday night I went out to dinner with my lovely wife. Len Duckworth’s Fish and Chips was her choice –but I enjoyed the “cuisine”.

On Saturday I got up early and drove Kaylee to the pool. By 8am I was in Peterborough –at mom’s place loading up a futon to take to her cottage. After unloading the futon and loading up a chesterfield I spent the rest of the day changing the filters on the intake line from the lake (at Bedrock)*, putting the outboard in the boathouse and winterising it, taking the floating dock apart and hauling it up onto the shore, placing the boat atop the dock and lashing it down for the winter, hauling up the boathouse ramp, visiting Ian and Anke for “before dinner drinks”, dining with mom at her place and reading a few chapters of my book before I went unconscious a little after 9pm.

On Sunday I repositioned mom’s dock for the winter, took down her swimming ladder, cleaned up the mess over at my place and winterised the “hot tub”. I also had to tarp up the chesterfield because it was raining. On the way back to Toronto I stopped in Peterborough again and dropped off the chesterfield at mom’s place. I’m not planning to do much tonight.

* See Oct 18/04 for more on Bedrock


October 18/04

I have decided to start calling the cottage by its proper name “Bedrock”. There has been a lot of discussion over the years about the suitability of this name for our cottage but the name has history and I think it is time for me to make a stand.

Kathy disapproves of the name for the very same reason that I like it –because of the Flintstones connotation. I guess Kathy is afraid that I will start coming in the front door bellowing “Honey –I’m Hooome!” or that I will run around yelling "Yuba-duba-do" all of a sudden.

This is the history: The overburden at the cottage is very minimal and when I constructed the foundation wall I managed to excavate to the granite bedrock. I was determined that the piers which would hold up the center floor beam would also be poured on bedrock but I had to do this excavation by hand rather that with a small backhoe. My Aunt Dorrie was visiting at my parent’s cottage when I was trying to dig through roots and stones and so she witnessed my “quest for bedrock”. Later she made a little sign with Bedrock on it and posted it at the site.


October 19/04

I was thinking today about a funny thing that happened almost 20 years ago. I was looking after a little bridge job at the side of a busy highway. One day, a rather rough looking character came walking back along the side of the highway and into our construction zone. He came up to me and said:
“Hey man –can I borrow a plank?”
“What are you going to do with a plank?” I asked
“Well, I have a Hog in the ditch just down the road and I need a plank to get it out” he explained.
“Why doesn’t the pig just walk out on his own? I asked picturing a little pig with a curly tail scampering up the side of the ditch without any assistance from a piece of wood.
“No man! -A Hog! -a Harley!” He said in an exasperated tone.
Now I was wondering why a Harley Davidson motorcycle would be call a “Hog” but I decided not to ask. I lent him a plank.

I have done a bit of internet research and found out that HOG is a registered trademark (to Harley Davidson –I assume). It stands for Harley Owners Group. That does not explain why Harleys themselves are sometimes called Hogs.

************************************************

And speaking of pigs:

It is now late October and I have an almost irrepressible urge to over-eat. I suffer from this affliction every fall and always end up packing on between 5 to 10 pounds before the holiday season is over. I suppose that I am like a bear packing on weight for the long winter ahead. The difference, of course, is that I will always be able to find food in the winter –unlike the bear and so I have no need for the extra fat.

Each fall I resolve to resist the hunger pangs but I doubt that since I got married I have ever managed to keep my highest winter weigh below 175. Last year I topped out at around 178 before dropping to 167 for most of the summer. I will be happy if I can stay under 175 this year.


October 20/04

I finished “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. This novel is a terrific read and truly deserves all the attention that it is getting. It would not be fair to give away too much of the plot –but it involves a conspiracy, the Roman Catholic Church, murder and a desperate search for the Holy Grail.

Although there is great debate regarding the “facts” presented in the book it is not much of a leap to accept the basic plot and enjoy the book. The real action is about as intense (and upon reflection –about as believable as the TV show “24”). That is to say, I struggled harder to suspend my disbelief regarding what was actually happening in the story than buying into the idea that the Holy Grail actually exists and is protected by a secret society.

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The “boss” called yesterday to see if I would be available to go to “World of Concrete”. It’s a convention in Las Vegas for construction types like me. It’s in the middle of January –when things are bound to be pretty slow. It’s a great opportunity to view new products and to get information or training in areas which may be of interest. Some guys will actually do that. Everybody else will be partying and gambling like madmen for the few short days that they will be there. I, of course, fall into the former group.


October 22/04

I found out yesterday that the URL for my website is going to have to change. I am hugely disappointed with Rogers -my internet provider and website server. I have had my ups and downs with Rogers but things had been fine for the past while. All of a sudden, they have made some sort of deal with Yahoo. I don’t want to have a website with adds on it so I may have to go shopping for a new server. Rogers really knows how to piss off their customers.

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Good news and bad news: The good news is that we will be staying at Treasure Island when we go to Vegas in January. Treasure Island is the casino that is switching to all topless waitresses. The bad news is that the switch is going to happen after we leave.


October 23/04

Today is Amy's 19th birthday! We won’t see her on this special day because she wants to party with her friends. However, we will go down to Hamilton tomorrow and take her out for dinner.

Amy is now able to drink legally and I suppose that today she will taste alcohol for the first time. I hope we have prepared her properly for the new responsibilities that she will have to bear.

One of my favourite Amy stories dates back to a family trip that we took to Florida when she was 5 years old. As Northerners in the hot sun, we had to fight off the worst effects with sun block and zinc ointment (for our noses). It was quite late in the trip when I realized that Amy thought the stuff for our noses was called “stink oinkment”. We had a good laugh over that one.

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A few weeks before my 19th birthday, in the middle of the summer of 1971, the Ontario Government changed the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. It changed the entire focus of the summer for me and my friends.


October 26/04

I was talking to a friend and telling him that I had only seen 10 Toyota Tundra’s in 5 months of driving around Toronto –and then I saw 4 in only a few hours in Long Beach California. Jack lived in California for a while and has recently been to Texas. He explained that in California “everybody” wants to drive an import. In Texas “nobody” will drive an import. Good old “American” boys want to drive good old American vehicles. It makes sense to me.

It comes down to this: the difference is “cultural” –California versus Texas. Somehow (as a Canadian) I often forget that Americans are not the same from coast to coast. I am much more attune to Canadian cultural differences.

Canadian cultural differences –I understand. Albertans, Newfies, Quebecers, etc, etc –there are accepted stereotypes for each. Clearly, the US is no different.

************************************************

The US election campaign is now at a frenzy as it enters its final week. There is very little else on the TV these days. I expect that Mr Bush is going to make it back into the Whitehouse. I can’t understand how half of American voters think that he is the best choice. I am half expecting that US troops will capture Osama bin Laden this week and Bush will still win because not enough people will see through it.


October 30/04

End of the Month Skating Report:

Winter is fast approaching. The best fall colours are done and the leaves are falling like crazy. On clear mornings I see Orion in the south-west sky and it has been much too dark to start working at 7am. I usually have to wear tights and two layers of clothing on top when I skate and the pavement seems to be wet more often than not. Tonight, daylight savings time will end and tomorrow night is Halloween.

The month was literally centered on my trip to Long Beach. I was skating easy in the week or so before the race because I was tapering and there was not much point in skating hard after the race since I have no races until the spring. As a result, I skated at a pretty leisurely pace in most of my 12 outings.

I consider Halloween to be the end of the inline season. I will start going to the gym next week and I have decided to do indoor skating –once per week (for as long as my aging body holds out). Any outdoor skating that I manage to do in November through to the end of February is considered to be a bonus skate. I am hoping to average one bonus skate per week between November and the end of February.

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Kathy does have a sense of humour! The trouble is that her jokes are subtle and are usually at my expense. I was thinking of this today when I told Kaylee that I would be going down to my “work room”. She said “You mean your playroom”. Of course, Kathy started this ridiculous term.

************************************************

Well, Osama bin Laden has impacted the US election –but not by being captured. He released a video, putting his 2 cents worth into the “debate”. It has livened things up a little.

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Weblog -November /2004

November 1/04

It seems that every news report is calling for another virtual tie in the US presidential election. It isn’t going to happen. Not twice in a row. The race is going to be tight but there will be a clear winner.


November 5/04

George W. Bush won the election. It was close but it was not a virtual tie. I don’t blame Kerry for waiting the next day to accept defeat in light of what happened last time. Now that Bush has won there is a mountain of paranoia in Canada fearing what will happen to us –and even in the US where commentators have declared that there is a huge divide between those who voted Republican and those who voted Democrat.

Canada may be able to start a whole new industry marrying American gays! Seriously, I would bet that Canadian drug prices will move closer to US prices, our quite legitimate trade grippes (softwood lumber and cattle) will go unresolved and we will be coerced into joining the new Star Wars defence system just to keep the peace with the big bully to the south. ************************************************** Someone was asking what I will do in the gym this winter. There are two main thrusts to my winter workouts. First, I will try to keep up my level of cardiovascular fitness as much as possible. I will do no less than 45 minutes on the cardio machines on each visit. Mostly I will use the bike and the cross-trainer and all of the work will be between 65% and 90% of my maximum heart rate. That is between 115 and155 beats per minute for me. After Xmas I will start to increase the amount of cardio stuff partly to try and get a start on shedding a couple of pounds. The second main thing that I do is exercises to increase pelvic stability. These consist of crunches, side leg raises, leg raises from a front plank position (elbows and toes), forward lunges with the opposite arm raised above my head (using 10lb dumbbells), front and sideways back extensions on the 45degree machine, 3 different exercises on the hip machine (abductors, adductors and flexors) and another tummy exercise that I can’t describe. In addition to the above I also do 3 leg exercises (one leg presses, one leg extensions, and one leg curls (all on machines)). I also spend some time doing the normal skating stretches between the other stuff. It takes me around 50 minutes to run through all this other stuff so my normal workout lasts between 95 minutes and two hours (when I am starting to increase the cardio). This year I am thinking of throwing in some arm exercises, once per week, to increase my shoulder strength (often when I fall I hurt my shoulders).

**************************************************

Superman died! I forgot to mention that Christopher Reeve, the star of 3 Superman movies, died in his early 50s. I felt really sorry for the poor guy -confined to a wheelchair and on a breathing machine after a polo accident. I would not want to live if that was to be my lot. He seemed to handle it well. He was a terrific poster boy for spinal cord research.


November 6/04

We wanted some light entertainment so we watched “Dirty Dancing –Havana Nights”. It was pretty light all right. I can’t decide whether it should get 2 or 3 stars. The only actor that I recognized was Patrick Swayze (from the original Dirty Dancing) who played a dance instructor in a fairly minor role.

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Lindsay has been getting some pretty good marks in her courses this year. She had one “really bad” midterm mark of only 70% in chemistry. I wish that 70% had been a big disappointment for me when I was in university. Perhaps Lindsay will make it into medical school. Amy has been offered the position of "head guard” at the private tennis club where she has been a pool guard and instructor for the past 3 summers. I guess that will keep her interest up for the next season or two.

Kaylee is still getting faster in the pool as this weekend’s swim meet demonstrated. She is now doing a bunch of A times –which is supposed to be good. Kaylee is now faster than I was in high school (except perhaps in the 50 freestyle). It is a little difficult to compare since I swam in yard pools and she competes in meter pools.


November 7/04

I experienced several moments of pure joy yesterday afternoon on my skate. I left the house and made my way through Taylor Creek park and then all the way down the Don Valley to Lake Shore Drive. It was tough going because there were a lot of leaves and sticks on the path and also because I was fighting against a stiff wind the whole time. Then, at the point where the Don Roadway hits Lake Shore, I turned to the east. The wind pushed me along at 35 -40 kph and the path was clear of all obstructions. I hit the traffic light at Carlaw perfectly and the left-turning drivers gave me the right of way. I flew down to Leslie where I had to cross the south side of Lake Shore. Again, the traffic light was in sync with my needs and I got through the intersection without missing a stride.

When you skate with a strong tailwind it is almost like skating in a bubble. Usually the sound of the wind is ever present but now I was enveloped in virtual silence. The only noise remaining was the characteristic sound of the bearings spinning with each push. My attention focused on the rhythm of my stride and I glided along the path in my own little world. It was heavenly. When I got to Coxwell Ave I stood up to rest my back. Then I hit the rough and narrow trail beside the boardwalk and the moment was gone.


November 11/04

Remembrance Day

This is the first Remembrance Day since Dad died and the first since I have read his account of D-Day. I have always thought first of my father on this day since he is (was) the person closest to me who saw action in the War. Then I think about several uncles who were also in the Canadian Forces and survived (not altogether unscathed) to tell their tales. Then I think about my dad’s dad who was in World War I and several others of his generation on my mother’s side of the family –one who was gassed, another who took a few bullets in the back and one more who apparently went down, in his plane, over the English Channel never to be seen again. And my father-in-law and lots of my friend’s fathers also fought in the Second World War. And then, I realize that I have forgotten that my Mother joined the Navy during the War and was posted to a foreign country –Newfoundland!

Thanks to all the veterans of all the wars for their sacrifices. Because you did what had to be done –I did not have to fight in any war (and I certainly appreciate that).


November 14/04

Yasser Arafat died after being removed from his compound in Ramallah and spending a week or two in a hospital in Paris. They are not sure what killed him. Arafat has been on the world stage (as a leader of the Palestinian cause) for decades. I can’t think of any other “heads of state” that have been around as long as he was.

I hope that his death will lead to peace in the middle-east. Anything is possible. You just have to remember the seemingly impossible situations in Northern Ireland and in Lebanon to see that.


November 15/04

We watched The "Life of David Gale". It’s about a guy on death row (Kevin Spacey) who sells his story to magazine in the last few days before his execution. The woman that does the interview (Kate Winslet) becomes convinced that he did not commit the murder and digs deeper into the mystery. The story jumps back and forth between the past and present and is neatly summed up at the end. Kevin Spacey surprised me in this movie. The range of emotion that he can muster is more than I had previously believed. He turned in a very good performance. Kate Winslet was OK. This is my type of movie. It gets 4 out of 5. **************************************************

The whole family was together for supper last night because the two college girls were home for various reasons. It was a great dinner.

Lindsay passed her final drivers test today. The joke goes that now she is allowed to drink and drive. Before today there was zero tolerance for any alcohol.


November 16/04

Today was a bad news-good news sort of day. The first bad thing was that I lost my cell phone. I spent about 2 hours driving around to my 3 jobs that are still on the go and searching everywhere that I had been. Finally I found it, unharmed, in the gutter on top of some leaves. I guess that when it dropped off my belt it didn’t make much of a noise because the leaves muffled the sound of the impact. As a result, I didn't hear it fall. The second bad thing to happen was that someone ran into my truck and damaged the two driver’s side doors. I had to go to the collision reporting center to fill out a report. Of course, I was concerned that even though the accident wasn’t my fault I would somehow be blamed. The good news is that the cop saw it my way and I was not found to be at fault. The boss wasn’t thrilled that there would be another claim on the insurance policy but I can’t do anything about that. This is the third time this season that my truck has been hit –and I have not been to blame in any of the three incidents. I suppose that my vehicle is “high risk” because I make numerous trips each day. Some days, I do nothing but drive (and talk on the phone at the same time) all day. ************************************************** I have a new favourite oxymoron –since Harvey’s started their most recent advertising campaign. “Black Angus burger” takes over from “military intelligence”. "Led Zeppelin" is number three.

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Amy is taking a marketing course this year. On her second last visit she finished most of her statements with “It’s a marketing thing”. Now it’s a big joke between the two of us. We can have a conversation on any topic but every third or forth sentence has to be “It’s a marketing thing”. Here is an example: Amy- “How was your day at work?”
Dad- “It was tough! I got spray paint on my winter jacket and they burned my bagel at Tim Horton’s –but it’s a marketing thing.” How was your day?
Amy- “I had a tough day too. I poked myself in the eye when I was putting on my mascara this morning and then I missed the bus so I had to walk two blocks to school –but it’s a marketing thing.”

You get the idea.


November 21/04

I have been reconstructing my website for the past few days and the end is not yet in sight. Kathy must think that I have an internet girlfriend because I am spending so much time on the computer. I would say that I am “slaving away” at my task. Kathy would say that I am “playing on the computer”. I suppose there is some truth in both views (and, in truth, each of us, agrees with what the other is saying). **************************************************

The Toronto Argos won the Grey Cup in a pretty good game. Pinball Clemens is the coach now –instead of one of the best players on the team. Everyone likes Pinball and is happy that he has been successful in this venture.


November 25/04

November has always been my least favourite month of the year. I hate it because the light is disappearing at an alarming rate and the weather is usually wet and cold. June is my second least favourite month because the days are so short and I never get enough sleep.

Last November was particularly bad because Dad was in intensive care. It was clear to me that he was not going to make it but it was not clear to enough other people that I was able to intervene on his behalf. I was frustrated, angry, disappointed, confused and mystified all at once. My Mother was feeling about the same. She takes comfort in the knowledge that the same fate (weeks in a basically hopeless state) will not happen to her. I will be the only family member making the decisions surrounding her care.


November 27/04

Last night we had a fancy dinner with Liz and Tony and had some drinks in their room at the Royal York. I got to hear all about Tony’s new 1100cc motorcycle. That purchase makes my new pair of inline skates and a frivolous trip to California look pretty tame. I took a ribbing for shaving my legs. A good night.


November 28/04

We (Kathy, Kaylee and I) spent most of the weekend at Bedrock. The weather was windy and wet but warm. We had a problem with the water supply (it was frozen) but I figured out what was wrong after a while. I left the heat on when we left -so things should be OK until Christmas when we will return.

We all had really long sleeps on Saturday night and we all felt that we deserved them. I wrote the Xmas letter on our original computer, which is now up at the cottage, and brought home a copy on a floppy. I always intend to send out the letter early and never get around to it. Perhaps this will be the year.


November 30/04

End of the Month Skating Report I really didn’t think that I was very active this month -but the numbers would indicate otherwise. I skated outdoor 10 times, indoor twice and managed to get to the gym 5 times. It seemed to me that early November was pretty bad for outdoor skating but the last couple of weeks has been great. My outings have been rather short and pretty slow but I am just happy to be out there! After two sessions of indoor skating, early in the month, I decided that I would be better off not participating. It was clear that problems with my left hip were still there –and my back was also a problem. I believe that I am better off skating outdoors as much as possible and taking up the slack at the gym.

I have been eating way more than I need and my weight has crawled up to a solid 170. I really hope that I can keep the peak at 175 or below this year.

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Weblog -December /2004

December 4/04
Yesterday, on the way home, I decided to go for a skate instead of going to the gym. As a result I got to have some fun rather than endure the drudgery of lifting weights, stretching and working out on exercise machines. I turned the radio to the news channel as I was changing into my skating gear and discovered that the temperature was -2 degrees C (with a strong wind). I am happy to report that I was not cold during the skate.

I guess that as long as we don’t have snow cover I will be OK to keep on skating. I hope that (at least for December) our storms come in the form of rain. I can honestly say that I am dreaming of a green Christmas. Fortunately for me, Kathy doesn’t read this weblog.


December 5/04

Today is one year since Dad died.

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Kathy has officially accepted the name “Bedrock” as the name for our cottage. That’s great!

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Last night we watched “Super Size Me” –a documentary about a guy (Morgan Spurlock) who eats only McDonalds food for 30 days. It’s about more than just McDonalds but that particular restaurant chain really takes a licking in this movie. Lots of good points are made about the alarming increase of obesity in the US, the way that fast food is marketed (especially to children), and how really bad a fast food diet is for individuals.

Morgan Spurlock, the writer, director and star of the documentary gets his point across pretty well as his dietician and one of his doctors get very concerned about his weight gain and other factors (exposed in his blood-work) relating to his liver function.

I admit that I regret (more now than before) all the times that I have eaten at fast food joints and (like most viewers of this movie) I will endeavor to do a better job of picking the things that I eat.


December 6/04

Today it snowed during the morning rush hour. It was a disaster. We got a 2 meter load of concrete that was two and a half hours old by the time it arrived. I had to tell the poor driver to take it back. I was a bit surprised at the nerve of the concrete company (Dufferin) for delivering the load that late.

My skating might be on hold for a while. I’ve been doing pretty well lately so I can’t complain. Today I made a rare trip to the gym. (Rare because I have been doing so much skating).


December 8/04

Lindsay had an interesting night out last weekend. She reluctantly went to a bar (in London) with some friends -although she really thought she should be studying or (at least) sleeping. She was partying away and in came Tie Domi and a small entourage. She was being pretty cool about everything (just sneaking the odd glance at him) –but she ended up having a conversation with another member of his group. After a while, Tie decided to try another bar and invited Lindsay and a friend along (even though they hadn’t even spoken yet).

So Lindsay went bar hopping with a small group of Tie Domi’s friends and he bought all their drinks! A few times people came up to Lindsay and asked if they could talk to Tie! It was a late night for Lindsay but the best part of all was the next morning when she went to coach her Synchro team. Someone said “Did you hear that Tie Domi was at such and such a bar last night!” Then she got to tell the story.

When I told Kathy the story she phoned Lindsay right away and said, “Lindsay –Tie Domi is a married man! Haven’t I ever told you about such things!"

Her reply was pretty simple. "Oh mother I wasn’t like that! "


December 9/04

Something is happening that I never would have thought. In December I would normally expect to have pretty well lost interest in inline skating and to be going to the gym around 3 times a week. However, when I am busy, I find going to the gym to be a hassle –because it is so time consuming. For this reason alone, I have been avoiding the gym. As compensation for the missed gym time, I have been skating outside more that I ever would have imagined –and once I am out there (even on a cold windy day) I am glad that I did it.

Today was a beautiful day for a skate because the temperature was +5C. The wind was strong so I parked the truck at the downwind side of the route. I fought my way up-wind while I was fresh and my back was still OK and when I turned around for the return leg my efforts were rewarded. Life is great!


December 12/04

On CBC radio this morning there was a piece on Christmas shopping. Specifically it was about how, so often, women get stuck with the vast majority of it. There was discussion (by a bunch of women) about why this would be and what could be done about it.

Well, there I was, with my hands in the sink doing the dishes, squirming around (because I was feeling guilty) and not able to change the station because my hands were wet and soapy. I was so glad that Kathy was not listening.

And what are my excuses? They are the regular ones that were put forward on the show. Kathy simply cares more about making sure everyone gets some nice presents and that we are all treated equally. Kathy has more time around Christmas because the kids are writing exams and because I am usually in the final big push to finish a job before the snow flies. We have three daughters who have a fashion sense that I simply no not understand –no sons! And finally, I hate shopping of any sort –but Christmas shopping is the worst because the pressure is so great and I am unable to make decisions. So the truth is out –I am a coward, a schmuck, and a pathetic excuse for a human being.

I do purchase a few gifts for my lovely wife and all the little trinkets for her stocking –although, more and more, I am enlisting the help of my oldest daughters, with enticements of cash on the barrelhead for services rendered. Add creep, bum and despicable capitalist to the list.


December 14/04

The foreman that I worked with all season has gone back to Portugal. I hate the way he does that because now I have to work twice as hard –just at a time when things should be getting easy. I really don’t know when I am going to do my Christmas shopping.

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Today was the first really cold day of the winter and Kaylee had her first experience walking over the Main Street bridge on the way to Malvern. The other two used to cry about that “hardship” as well. Sometime I will have to tell them what life was like when I was a kid.

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I have managed (with a little help from David) to move my website to a new address. Readers will now have to put up with advertisements-and I hate that. I may move the site again in the future if I come across a good deal. I am concerned that Google will take a while to track me down at the new location. I guess that is just another reason to be annoyed with Rogers.


December 16/04

Yesterday there was an important test of the U.S. missile defense system. It was a failure. I am happy. Perhaps there will be a new U.S. president and a different attitude toward the whole issue before they can get a handle on the technology. And perhaps Canada will never have to make a decision about whether or not to participate. That is what I am hoping for.

 

There is a saying that the best offence is a good defense (probably from football). That seems to be what “the Administration” is thinking. Why can’t they see that if the U.S. has the ability to protect themselves from nuclear annihilation other nations will find this threatening?

 

The principal of “mutual destruction” kept “the peace” all through the cold war and is all that is required now. Any “rouge nation” that lobs a few nuclear warheads at the U.S. will not have the benefit of “mutual destruction” because it will end up being a few million dead Americans versus the total destruction of any country that dares to launch a missile at the US. Even an idiot (“madman”) would recognize that to attack the U.S., with an ICBM would mean the total destruction of their entire country and their own early demise.

 


December 18/04

 

I think that I have finally worked out the perfect Christmas shopping routine. I started out by avoiding any shopping trips in the weeks leading up to Xmas. This eliminated the frustrating and wasteful first shopping excursion that I usually spend wandering around and looking for ideas.

 

Today, with only 6 days left to go, and armed with a shopping list, I hopped on the subway and headed for the Yonge/Bloor complex of stores. By taking the subway, I avoided the parking hassle that I so often find at suburban malls at this time of year.

 

From the subway station I traced a path through The Bay, Eddie Bauer’s, Ashley’s and Chapters, as well as a couple of other stores. Along the way, getting farther and farther from the subway, I bought nothing. Then, at the farthest point away from the subway (Chapters), I started my purchases. I worked my way back buying all the stuff that I had decided on in my first pass.

My arms were full of about as many gifts as I could carry when I got out of The Bay but I finished all of the shopping that I have to do except to get a few “stocking stuffers” at Shoppers next week. I am so pleased with myself.


December 19/04

 

Vince Carter is packing his bags and leaving town. He was OK for the first couple of years but he sure didn’t do much after that. I’m glad he is going –both Vince and Toronto need a new start.

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Last night, I woke up at 2:30 am (when Amy came in) and couldn’t go back to sleep. I started to worry about work. It really ticked me off because it was a Saturday night. My boss took a silly amount of work this year and now, on top of that, does not want to admit that finishing the last job (without the input of substantially more resources than he is willing to commit) is virtually impossible. Meanwhile, I am suffering.

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Kathy has “let it be known” that she must go “somewhere hot” during the March break and that I am the one that must make all the arrangements. I just can’t stand the thought of hanging around at some resort in the Caribbean so I am thinking of doing a little road trip in Arizona. I would just love to see Monument Valley and I would really like to view the big (and recent) impact crater that everyone has seen pictures of. I also love the desert and all types of sandstone formations. I would even be able to skate a few times, I would imagine. I could also revive my interest in Astronomy.

Does anyone out their want to look after a cat for a week in March?


December 20/04

 

It’s been cold as a witch’s tit outside for the last two days.


December 21/04

 

Women confuse the hell out of me. When I was growing up my mother would often insist that I lick my dinner plate. When I got married I was amazed to find that my lovely bride did not approve of such behaviour. I thought I could get around “the rule” by discreetly wiping my thumb across a dinner plate and then licking my thumb –but this tactic was quickly noticed and banned.

 

OK, part of getting married is adjusting to your partner’s “perception of reality” (perhaps I took one too many sociology course in University). I went for years without licking my plate, except when I was alone. Then one day, as Kathy and I were finishing supper, I noticed that she was wiping her thumb across her plate and licking it! Of course, I asked her what was going on. I can’t remember the exact reply.

 


December 22/04

 

In September I predicted that the NHL hockey lockout would be over by Christmas. I was wrong. The next 3 weeks will tell the tale. After that the league will cancel the entire season –a real loss to anyone who cares about such things.

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I booked 3 flights to Phoenix for the March break.

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I have been noticing that the hair on my legs is almost back to normal length. I wonder whether or not I will ever do the leg shaving thing again.

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Amy is finally back from Mac and the whole family is at home. I wish that I was not so busy at work.


December 23/04

 

This is the text of the 2004 Xmas letter that we sent out this year on fancy Christmas paper:

 Greetings! Little has changed in the Duncan household during the past year.

 Lindsay and Amy are off at University and only around once and a while -Amy a little more often because she doesn't coach a synchro team. Both girls report that they are doing well in their courses, Lindsay in Kinesiology and Amy in Commerce.

 Kaylee is still dragging one parent or the other out of bed at a truly ungodly hour for a ride to the swimming pool. At the age of 14, she is still getting faster so this makes the long hours in the pool a little more rewarding. Kaylee has followed her older sisters into Malvern collegiate where she is known by almost every teacher in the school.

 Kaylee has enjoyed the past two summers at Bedrock (the cottage) because she has found a great bunch of friends. They take sailing, swimming and canoeing lessons, go in the regattas bomb, around the lake in small motorboats and generally hang out.

 The older girls have summer jobs. This year, Amy will be the head lifeguard/instructor at the private tennis club where she has worked for the past few summers. Lindsay has reluctantly decided not to return to camp -but instead to work a little and study a lot in an attempt to do well on her MCATs and get into medical school. It's a dream held by many and realized by few but that won't stop her from trying!

 Kathy never writes this letter because she doesn't like to say anything about herself (I have the opposite problem). I am supposed to report that "she is still alive". This means that she is teaching full time, coaching for most of the year, driving Kaylee around and keeping up her end of the household chores (more than half I am sorry to say). This summer she painted most of Bedrock. (She hates this name for the cottage but I am determined to impose it -negotiations are over!).

 I am still motoring along in my job as a supervisor for XXXXXXXX Construction. I recovered nicely from my herniated disk and picked up my inline skating where I left off. I decided to drop the indoor skating and track racing and concentrate on the marathon distances that I really love. The competitive season ended on a high note with great performances in Duluth Minn., and Long Beach CA. As well, I am still having a lot of fun with my website (where you can find out far more than you would ever want to know about inline racing in general and my races in particular (put "sk8toronto" into Google)).

 We hope that this letter finds everyone well and happy. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

 


December 26/04 

The whole family is now at Bedrock. We just finished a game of “hurry up Scrabble” which Kathy won hands down.

I am typing this up on my new laptop computer which Kathy bought for me (with Amy’s help). It was a very extravagant gift but I am already getting used to the idea of owning a laptop. The computer comes with a free wireless internet connection for the first 3 months. I suppose that I am expected to get addicted to the convenience.

I got some other notable gifts as well. Kaylee gave me a pocket knife, Lindsay gave me some hand sliders for inline skating, Amy gave me some CDs, and the Roths gave me a beautiful pink disposable razor that I can use if I ever decide to shave my legs again.

I was really pleased that Kathy’s Dad finally got around to typing up his memoirs. He made 4 copies and handed them out to the 4 daughters at the Christmas festivities. Kathy was just bawling when Frank was giving his little speech. I guess that it has something to do with the fact that Mr. Theakston is now 85 years old and that by writing his memoirs he is basically admitting that he may not be around for that much longer.

I have only had a very brief glance at the memoir but it seems to be very well done. I would like to think that Mr Theakston was inspired somewhat by the story of D-Day that my dad produced in the months before he died.

 


December 27/04

 

There is so much to do that I don’t know where to turn next. I want to read the Arizona tour books that Santa gave to Kathy, play with my new laptop, help put together the big jigsaw puzzle of the world (it’s a tradition to do a big puzzle at Bedrock each Christmas), perhaps start a novel, clean up under the cottage and go cross country skiing every day. I also want to relax a little!

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Lindsay and I went with Ian and Anke to ski at Kawartha Nordic. The sun was shinning, there was not much wind and the temperature was around -6C so things could have been good. The problem was that the snow was very abrasive (because of the freezing rain a couple of days ago) and, after a while, our wax wore off and we had no grip on the snow with our skis. It was still worth the effort of going out but next time I will want to stick to the machine groomed (and tracked) trails.


December 28/04

 

My mother is visiting us at Bedrock and we had a sort of a Christmas dinner with her last night. Kathy did a fine job on a roast of beef. Although my mother is quite fine mentally she often has trouble finding the right word when she is talking. I have noticed that it is always names of things that she can’t get out. Mom can be quite inventive and descriptive in her attempts to get her ideas across and today she came up with one of her best yet. We were talking about our planned trip to Arizona and she asked if we were going to go and see “the big ditch” (the Grand Canyon). We laughed about that one for a while and I told mom that I was going to start writing down the good ones. She didn’t seem to mind.

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I damaged my shoulder again yesterday. I think I did it cross country skiing. I was off balance and I jammed my ski pole into the snow to keep from falling. It was enough to cause damage. My shoulders are getting to be more and more of a problem. I really should start doing regular exercises to strengthen them. Perhaps this will be the beginning. It’s close to New Years so there is a chance.

 

 

December 29/04

 

There has been an undersea earthquake and devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Reports of widespread damage and loss of life are pouring in from India, Sri Lanka, Thialand, and Indonesia. There are 67,000 confirmed dead and the number is sure to go up. I can’t think of another natural disaster on this scale in my lifetime.

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I went for a walk on the ice –down through the narrows and into Lower Stony. I found one deer carcass and what was probably a coyote on the ice. There was nothing left for the scavengers –just fur and bone. Last year we found 6 deer carcasses (most within view of the cottage).

 December 30/04

 

Today I was the first one up. When I went downstairs and looked out the back window I saw two deer grazing in the in the woods. I spent a few minutes watching the deer sniffing around as they worked their way around to the side of the cottage and finally out of sight. I really had a good chance to view the  animals. My main observation was that they were so skittish and cautious -always sniffing the air and listening for the sounds of potential threats.

A few minutes later, as I sat on the couch sipping the coffee both deer came bounding back in the direction from which they had first come. They were going pretty fast. Next, I saw Salty (Jim and Peg’s big black poodle) chasing after the deer. Following behind was Uncle Jim (only walking fast)–clearly yelling at Salty to stop chasing the deer. I stuck my head out the door and yelled at Salty too–just to add to the confusion.

Later in the day, I was thinking that the deer experience was a fitting comment on the state of the world. What we had was the natural world minding it’s own business and the human world screwing everthing up.

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I have decided that big poodle is an oxymoron.

 

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The total number of suspected deaths in the big tsunami is well over 100,000. Incredible!

December 31/04 

Last night it rained quite a bit. The lake is just a big puddle. The ice skating could be pretty good if the freeze-up comes without wind and snow. The best conditions for skating would require that the water sit on top of the ice for a couple of days so that more of the (air carrying) snow underneath would disappear.

The weather has not been all that great on this trip to Bedrock. There was sun on the day after we arrived but we haven’t seen any since. My exercise has been confined to walks on the lake since the unsatisfactory excursion to Kawartha Nordic.

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End of the Month Skating Report

 The month of December was not a high activity time but I did manage to get enough exercise that the inevitable push in January will not kill me. The weather for inline skating turned ugly in mid-December and I was uncommonly busy at work so I only ended up skating once (early in the month). I managed to get to the gym a few times and, here at Bedrock, I went skiing once and walking on the lake a few more times.

 Before I came to Bedrock on the day after Xmas my weight was holding steady at 170. This is great! Tomorrow I will be able to see how much I packed on in the last week. Whatever the number is, my New Year’s resolution will be to not go above it until I can start skating again in the spring.
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