Time, as they say, flies....

Tutts turns 40

(appropriately shown here with The Black in 1997. Doug is the record holder for number of times winning this trophy)

Steph King (Haldane), due July 12th.

Here she is showing off her baby bump at a Raptors game.

Chrissy having fun on the rope climb at Bondi.

I finally got to see my father today. He woke up for a bit and he definitely recognized me. He's better but they still haven't determined the source of the infection that put him in there. Thankfully, he doesn't have pneumonia and there's nothing wrong with his heart, no sign of a stroke. They finally got him out of the ICU and into a private room so it's quiet and he's more comfortable. We're hoping tomorrow to hear that he'll be moved into the long-term care wing until we can find him a bed at a more permanent facility.

Last night I got one of those calls I've been dreading. My Dad's been taken to the hospital. He's in the ICU but I can't go see him because I'm sick. The word palliative has become part of my vocabulary.

I'm so sick. The kind where I can't imagine ever feeling better again. I went to bed delirious with a fever around 4:00pm on Friday afternoon and, except for a trip to the walk-in clinic, haven't gotten up for more than a few minutes to take medicine or make a cup of tea. Ugh. I can't even care that I'm missing our three day weekend - the first ever family day holiday.

Even though I've been a little...umm...lazy this weekend, I did get out a bit. I was really grateful to Alyson who shook me out of my inertia to go for a run on Saturday night. It was warm enough for there to be melt water but cold enough to form black ice on the roads . We decided to run on the sidewalks for traction but since half of our route was low ground, we got massive soakers. And you couldn't see the puddles coming in the dark! It was great though to just run and talk. We used to run together a lot when Alyson was still paddling and I didn't realize how much I miss talking to her. Lately, we're rarely together unless we're doing a workout at the gym.

On Sunday, as mentioned, it was ridiculously cold for this area. I bundled up and went for a walk in the marsh and didn't run into one other person the whole time. While most of my body was swathed in wool, goosedown and sheepskin, my poor thighs were only covered by a layer of denim. They were BURNING about 10 minutes in and by the 40 minute mark, felt like they had swelled to twice their size!

Unlike the last time I took a hike during a storm (when I couldn't hear anything over the sound of crashing waves), this time the wind was howling and the lake was quiet. It was almost shocking to stand on the beach, protected from the wind, listening to small waves lap as they climbed the beach.

Am I the only one who's tired of Kanye West and his, "my momma's a saint" posturing? I'm guessing that I've got lots of company after last night's Grammy performances (both the singing and the acceptance speech).
I have to admit, they did seem to start the music a little sooner than normal on his speech but for him to pretend that mentioning his mamma means the world should stop so he can finish thanking her properly is a bit OTT. Do it on your own time, jack. It was also a little weird, the whole, "last night you came to me in my dreams and now I can't wait to go to sleep." thing. I mean, I'm a mom but I would be really worried if my kid was saying stuff like that. The guys at work tell me that he's a tiny guy, 5'3" or something so maybe that has something to do with it. Whatever, it still spells i.s.s.u.e.s....

So not surprising, today I'm stupidly restless. Worse, restless but indecisive. I want to do something outside but the 70km/hr winds and minus 24 temps are making me think twice. I should just throw the snowshoes in the truck and go but the single inch of skin that was exposed while I pumped gas an hour ago still hasn't thawed. I think it might be frostbite.

I haven't mentioned yet that we went out for Marisha's birthday on Friday night. She hosted a dinner at The Bungalow Cafe, owned by talented Toronto restaurateur (and ex-boyfriend), Rob P.
A handful of friends were there to celebrate - Glenn (Marisha's bf), Sharon, Karen, Gavin, Laila, Blake & Jackie and Birdie. Sharon's sister Nicki and her bf Dino just happened to come in and joined our loud, good-natured group. (And let me tell you, except for me and Laila, everyone was over 5'8". It looked like a convention for TALL people ).
It was so great to see everyone and, as you would expect, wine and conversation flowed. Glenn and I discussed the unnecessary guilt of 2nd and 3rd generation german-canadians while I tried to convince Dino that he HAD to take piano lessons since his hands could easily span two octaves on a keyboard. I'd had a few glasses of wine and kept saying things like, "Dino, piano is EASY. It's mathematical! Glenn, you understand that, TELL HIM." (Glenn is an engineer but to my knowledge, doesn't play the piano or any other musical instrument).
Blake was running a "who will get married first" pool - Gavin or the Birdman. Odds were running 3-1 in Gavin's favour but, based on the high standards of both, I said chances are I'll get married again before either of them. This prompted Birdie to jump up and hit on the three 20-something women at the next table. Three sets of manga-eyes and perky breasts were immediately pointed in his direction and we just looked on in awe as he was invited to join them.
It was a perfect night and the food was unbelievable with our choice of appetizer; pear and parsnip soup or bacon wrapped scallop (Sharon and I ordered each and shared) and an entree of roast pork with scalloped potatoes (served brick-style, something I've never seen before but, with the pork draped on the side, made for great presentation). An assortment of chocolates and chocolate dipped strawberries were on offer for dessert but I think we were all too stuffed by that time. It was a perfect celebration and it looked like Marisha enjoyed herself.

Mmmm. Lazy day. I'm just drifting from one lounge-point to another; stay in bed and read. yawn. Need coffee, breakfast at Helen's, so good. A Starbuck's misto while I read the paper. Perfect. Back home to the big, deep couch in front of the fireplace, the new Jack Johnson cd on the player (coincidentally entitled "Sleep through the Static" or some such. I'm too lazy to check the name) and a recently purchased copy of "Eat Pray Love" opened across my lap.
I was just on the phone with a friend who has known me since my single-parenting days and we decided this is payback for days, no years, when I didn't have a solitary minute to myself. Well, I'm taking it and not even feeling guilty. Nothing could make today any better...umm, maybe one thing ...

... Let's face it, everything's better with George.

Ugh. I just got home from a 2.5 hour dentist's appointment (Dr. H is replacing old fillings). I'm frozen up to my eyeballs which is making my sinus cold almost unbearable. However, last night I had a Crown Royal hot toddy and I do believe it relieved many cold symptoms. May have to have another tonight.

Nathan posted an interesting item on FB - a Senegalese paddler who has been training with him in Chula Vista for the past year had to go to Kenya for Africa's Olympic trials. Facing radically different conditions from his American and European counterparts, Assane Fall was met with this scene;

"Flanking kayakers as they paddled down the course
in the African Olympic trials at Kenya's Masinga Dam earlier this month were two boats. In each was a man armed with a machine gun, scanning the horizon for potential trouble.

Not because Kenya has plunged into chaos following a disputed presidential election in December, with reports of nearly 1,000 deaths from ethnic violence across the country.
Because of the crocodiles and hippos.

Crocs, you know about. Hippos are even more feared in Africa, where they are known to suddenly rise up in a lake, flip small boats, drag their occupants to the bottom, drown them and bite off their heads; on land they are said to run up to 30 mph. "

Makes our training camp run-ins with manatees and dolphins seem like a day at..well a day at the Pines.
It's great that Nathan's program is doing so well and I'm sure his amazing attitude has had a positive effect on his athletes, "Fall returned to San Diego last week. Members of the U.S. team greeted him at the airport, holding up signs with the Senegalese flag drawn on them. Fall teared up and hugged Luce for a good 30 seconds."
You know I'll be cheering for all of Nathan's athletes at the Olympics along with ours.

Another brutal snowstorm is supposed to hit tonight. It was semi-bad all day - OPP reporting 2 accidents every minute during the morning rush hour - but the worst (reportedly) is yet to come. I have to go out and get some groceries. I wish this freezing would wear off faster. Ugh. I look like Quasimodo. I'll just have to wrap a scarf around my head.
Okay, it's 7:30 pm and it is CRAZY out there. At least on friday the storm started in the morning. The steady run of traffic kept the roads reasonably beaten down. This storm started around 4:00pm - the roads are covered in giant snow ruts and cars are all over the place. As I was getting out of my car at the store there was a flash of light. At first I thought it was the beginnings of a migraine but then decided it seemed more like a camera flashbut then it happened again about 10 minutes later when I was driving along Lakeshore. Turns out this winter storm comes with lightning.
Alyson called to let me know that the gym is open but classes are cancelled (this is the night we do a core class). I was already planning to cancel so that let's me off the hook because the freezing is starting to wear off and my mouth really, really hurts. That along with this cold is making me miserable. It's times like these I wish I had a mife (man-wife) so I could just go to bed and he could bring me Advil and a hot toddy and tell me I look beautiful in spite of the swollen face, runny nose, red-rimmed eyes and paralytic mouth drag.
On second thought, maybe it's better there's no one here tonight.

Chrissy update: She's finally settled in Bondi but had a great time travelling around New Zealand. Highpoints include;

The Canyon Swing, a 60m free fall followed by a 200m swing at 150kph. Chrissy did it once and then decided she wanted to do it again, starting from a handstand position....

She also did some skydiving, body boarding, hiking on a glacier, cow milking (??), cliff jumping, jet boarding and boarding down a slide. I think she's having a goood time.

Great to see the blue knee socks are holding up...

This is a vertical obstacle course. Chrissy came close to breaking the record.

Miss you Wessman!