Day started out gross. It was raining & cold and I didn't feel like going on the water so went for a bike ride instead. Stopped by Buday's to pick up my bracelet from Steph and drop off a birthday violet for Olga. Took a spin by Secko's new place on Pine but no one was home so I hit the shopper's at the end of their street for some drugstore therapy. I spent $96. Crazy but I was out of a lot of stuff - clearly. I tooled through JD park on my way home to check the parking sitch in case I changed my mind about paddling. Usually on the Victoria Day weekend, they have a sign at the end of the road saying LOT FULL but the rain had cleared out all but a few die-hards. Perfect.
I was beached on the couch downstairs when I noticed a strange light outside. Ohmygod, the sun! I raced around gathering gear, changed into surf shorts and tank and drove back to JD. Surprisingly, there were still a few open parking spots. I put in a quick 10K - half of which was in a heavy fog that rolled in when I was 4K out. It cleared briefly and I considered unloading my board for a few more kilometers but then the second bank of fog rolled in - much thicker than the last so I paddled in to shore.
The park is packed now and I loaded my gear quickly and left. I feel like I really scored - hitting the water for that brief period of good conditions. Word is that we'll have thunderstorms tomorrow.
It was almost 6 when I got home. I rode my bike over to Metro to get some groceries.
The fog horn at the Suncor pier went off at regular intervals throughout the evening. The fog was an opaque wall when I was out there. I guess that hadn't changed 
 
In competition results, the Canadian team did okay at world cup. I didn't keep close track but saw Mark won gold in C1 1000m & 5000m, Gab & Andrew silver in the 1000m, Adam was 4th in the 1000 but says he was trying a new race plan so he's really stoked about the results and to watch him in Duisburg. He also won silver in the 5k. Tom Hall won silver in C1 500m and bronze in 5000m, Laurence and Nicole were 1, 2 in the C1 200m, Rich won silver in C1 200m (Aaron was 8th), KC & Genny were 5th in K2 200m (although they were 4th when I first checked results so I guess photo finish with Russia).

Larry was at a SUP race in Clearwater and was 4th.

When I woke up Saturday morning it was cold, foggy, drizzly. Ugh, besides a sushi hangover, I was completely unmotivated to paddle. So I didn't. Instead, I hooked up an old external hard drive I'd discovered and went through the folders. TONS of old photos. I sifted through a bunch from db worlds in 2005 and our trip to Greece afterwards, posting some on FB. Such great memories. Crazy that it was almost 6 years ago.
I didn't enjoy the trip at the time. Two weeks before, we'd found out my dad had cancer. He was starting chemo while I was away. I was going to cancel but my sister and his doctors assured me that he would absolutely NOT die in the few weeks I was gone. As logical as that is, I could not convince myself it was true - so the entire time away I was anxious, weepy, cranky and completely disconnected from events. I even hooked up with my favourite f-w-b and it was not nearly as fun as it should have/could have been. What a waste! (I should msg him - I haven't seen him in years).
Anyway, the point is that viewing these photos allowed me to process the trip in a different way. I can remember it now for the experiences instead of the anxiety.

After cruising down that memory trail, I needed to get out of the house. Time to take care of some long overdue business. I went to a furniture store - the Fuze has been in the living room for too long. I need furniture. I picked up a glossy catalogue and fabric swatches - as if that's actually accomplishing something! I'd already looked at the catalogue online but at least now I had prices. Then I did the rounds of car dealerships. What a chore. I don't know what I want. No, I know what I want - a convertible. But what I need is an SUV or truck to carry my gear. God I hate dealing with salesmen.

TFC were playing in the evening. K.C., Matt, Chris & I were supposed to be going but K.C. had to bail because she's heading to Europe for the world cup tour on Sunday. It would be senseless for her to stand out in the cold rain for 2 hours and get sick. We decided to get together and watch a movie instead so I gave Matt the 2 extra tickets. I think he gave them to Dana and Mel.
K.C. and Marianne came over and we watched The Kings Speech, discussed how we would load boats if cars had never replaced horses and caught up on all the gossip (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

I am SO kicking myself for not taking advantage of the good weather last Friday. All week, they were calling for thunderstorms on Friday afternoon so I decided to go see Mike. It turned out to be a beautiful, hot and sunny afternoon. Damn. It's been rainy and cold ever since.
As it turns out, it was better that I went for the massage. I've had a knot in my shoulder for the past 2 weeks and finally decided to get professional care. I used to have regular massages - every 6 weeks or so during 2005-2007, when I was still racing. As he checked out my upper back Mike said the knot in my shoulder was the least of my worries since my entire back was in spasm. As soon as he said it I realized what a doof I'd been to ignore the signs. What a relief to know that the pain and increasing inflexibility of the past 2 YEARS can be treated. I just thought it was related to age and weight gain - that I'd have to live with it.
He spent an hour working on it until his next appointment arrived. Although I was sore, it felt like he'd lifted a 25 pound backpack off of my shoulders! I was that hunched up and tight.
As soon as we were done, I had to run to Momiji to meet friends for dinner: Alyson, Carrie, Chanda, Eve and Marisha. I haven't seen Alyson in a long time although we've chatted on the phone. She looks great as always, all of them do! Carrie has her pre-baby body back and she was pleased to be wearing her regular jeans. Marisha is excited about the new apartment she and Carm have rented in Peterborough (although she's keeping the lakefront condo, Chanda had just picked up her new stand up board and is looking forward to getting out on the water as soon as weather conditions improve. She  got a Competitor too - the new one which is lighter. Alyson and Chanda are doing a half marathon in a couple of weeks. They decided not to do the 'Sauga Marathon because of some training interruptions, injury and the crummy weather. Eve had just come back from doing the Tour of the Scioto River Valley in Ohio with her dad - 210 miles! Amazing. I love these dinners and that we live close enough to meet up.

Ryan & Sylvie took me out for a Mother's Day dinner yesterday so I enjoyed an early morning paddle today. I was out there for a couple of hours and it was so beautiful, I only came in because I was hungry.  As I was paddling back to the beach I saw what I thought was a hot-dog stand setting up. Seemed a little early in the day for street meat. I couldn't believe it when I saw the sign - Tasty Crepes!! After I loaded my boat and changed, I sat on my kikoi on the beach, enjoying a Nutella & banana crepe with coffee. Short of having babies at home, I can't imagine a better Mother's day.

It's time. I'm ready to commit to training and racing again so, since the canoe club isn't an option, I've joined the local OC club. I went to my first practice with them on Saturday morning and it was great! Peter was coaching. It was supposed to be singles and doubles but they ended up having to go out in the sixes. Some people don't have boats because they're still in the repair shop (due to trailer flip on way to Florida) but others, for some reason, just didn't bother to bring their boats to practice. So weird.
Anyway, Pete, me and one other woman had our singles and then the rest formed 2 crews of 5. It's amazing what a difference having a coach makes. In a very short period of time, Pete pinpointed the problems in my stroke and it immediately felt much better. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were out there for a couple of hours. I was so happy when I came off the water!
Del was there when we got back, dropping off someone's new pegasus. We chatted briefly and I offered him the spare ticket for TFC. Pete also invited us to go out with them after the game. His friend Kenneth, who works with greenpeace international is leaving for some operation. It's in a trench so they use those small, 4-person subs - Kenneth's a licensed pilot (driver? captain?).

Finally, the weather is improving and I'm able to get out on the water every day. The past few days we've had an offshore wind that gives a great ride back to the beach. The beauty of my home beach is the bowl shape of the shoreline there. With an offshore wind, there's a centre point right around Richards Memorial Park. If you're on one side it gives a push east, on the other, west. Once you're past Saddington it's just straight offshore.
Actually, last night I had to coach but it was so amazing out that I cartopped my boat to Sunnyside and put in an hour down there before my crews got there. I haven't been out on the Humber in years so I took a cruise up there. Either the water is really high or they've remodeled the shoreline since there are a couple new 'islands'. I didn't go all the way up though. As I turned back,  a C1 came around the corner - some silver-haired guy. I got back to my car with lots of time to de-rig my boat and load it back up. As I was tieing down the back, I heard a sick crunching sound. I loosened off the tie and could see a dent just back of where the rear iako goes into the boat. bugger. I guess the foam on that rail has gotten too thin to protect the boat. I'm not sure how i would fix this but at least it's in a spot that doesn't let water in.

I haven't been on my board since I got home but that'll change as soon as the sun comes out regularly. There's no pleasure sweating through a workout in 3mm neoprene on relatively flat water. Of course, taking a swim in 6 degree water is no party either.

National team trials are this coming weekend. They were supposed to be in Montreal. I'd even considered going for day one because it's not far and there are some exciting races. Then I noticed a few athletes fb posts in the past couple of days saying they had to go to Dartmouth.
CKC's website just says "because of the situation in Montreal...etc" without further details. One coach said that there is a faulty wire related to the Grand Prix timing system and they have to lower the water level in the basin to get at the electrical access point. I ran into Ryan and Hayley at the mouth of the river last night and he said an electrical fire precipitated them having to lower the water level. Whatever the cause, they couldn't raise the water level back up in time for trials and they failed to notify CKC in a timely manner. It's really too bad for the athletes who had finalized their travel and accommodation arrangements. Hayley said she can't go now and I'm sure there are others in the same position.

Here's part of the email sent out by the CKC commodore to canoe clubs;

"please note that this emergency relocation was made necessary by the actions and neglect of the City of Montreal. Our Director General Lorraine Lafreniere has been in direct conversation with the city of Montreal to try and resolve the issue but was informed that they cannot remedy the electrical issue in time for the trials. Lorraine was also in touch with the mayor's office to indicate the situation and our displeasure with this outcome and received no support. We will be taking action to attempt to recover expenses incurred by CKC and you – our members - as a result of the city's breach in commitment. We will also need to carefully consider whether we can support future use of the Olympic Basin as a competition venue. Own the Podium and the Sport Centre Montreal (CNMM) have been informed of this situation. I hope that we will be able to return for future events. To decide otherwise would have an undeserved impact on our long standing partners at CanoeKayak Quebec. However, we must have certainty that we will not be let down again by the municipal authorities in Montreal."

Props to Atlantic Canada division for jumping in and making the course at Lake Banook & volunteers available on such short notice!

A friend's Facebook status today;

1. Osama bin Laden 2. Waldo 3. Carmen Sandiego

Just as I was about to go to bed, CNN reported that President Obama was about to make a statement. Sources indicated that it had something to do with national security but nothing to do with Libya. They first said it would be at 10:30 but kept pushing it forward by 15 minutes at a time so I finally turned off the tv and turned to the twitter-verse. Rumour is that he'll announce that Osama bin Laden is dead and the US has his body.

Whatever your bent, this weekend has big news for everyone; the royal wedding, the president's birth certificate, Moammar Gadhafi's son killed in a US airstrike, the beatification of Pope John Paul II...

I finally got out for a paddle on Friday evening. Nothing special - it was cool and overcast and I just paddled 9-10km. I went up the river a bit and only saw a lonely scull out there. I was drifting under the bridge not really paying attention (ipod on) when I realized the rower was talking to me. It was Eve's dad! I can't remember the last time I saw him out there rowing. He looks FAST!
After a brief hello, I paddled back to the beach, changed into some warm clothes, picked up a bottle of wine and some groceries. I was pleasantly tired.

Saturday morning turned out to be beautiful and warm. Well, warm in the sun. There was still a chill in the air. I was meeting Chrissy and Eve at 9:30 to ride down to Sunnyside. Apparently the site is a mess so we're going to help Blake & Ian clean up. I was sorry to miss out on such primo time on the water but figured I'd get out there in the afternoon.

I was meeting Chrissy by the lighthouse at 9:30 so I went a half hour early to grab a Starbucks. Marisha, Frits and some of the rowers were there post-workout. I hung with them until we saw Chrissy across the street. She has one sweet 70s era 12-speed bike. She picked it up on C-list. It has those great 70s graphics - so awesome! Eve didn't think she'd be able to come with us but, after a few texts and a phone call, she joined us. Her dad decided to come too and went home to get his bike. That gave us time to catch up with Marisha. Eventually (10:45) we were on our way. It's a fairly quick ride to Sunnyside - about 40 minutes. When we got there, Drew and Billy K. were already on-site and had moved a bunch of stuff into piles. The city will come next week to haul away the tree trunks and larger debris. The Dock was a mess. We grabbed shovels, brooms and rakes and started into moving the carnage around.
I was surprised that Footie-guy was down there. He's a mentally handicapped guy who shows up with a soccer ball, sets up some goal posts and acts as player, commentator, coach and fans of his own one-man beautiful game. I've seen him there in the evening, it just hadn't occured to me that he's there most of the day too. He looks between 35-45 years old but who can tell.
The boardwalk was buried under sand and the docks had all manner of garbage on them and stuck between the planks. Eve and I couldn't believe the number of tampax applicators. It was ridiculous and we speculated briefly on where they came from. We decided that they somehow got through the sewage treatment plant although I have heard stories that there are still original OPEN sewers that empty household waste straight into the Humber. I went into the office to get gloves.
Eve found a whole, ripe lime buried in some sludge. We figured either a bottle of gin or a coconut would turn up eventually. We did our best with the docks then moved onto the boardwalk. I shovelled the sand back onto the beach and Chrissy followed behind sweeping the boards clean with a broom. A lot of people stopped to offer help but we didn't have any more equipment. Plus, there wasn't much else we could do. Several of the boats had sunk, a couple were folded in half (like fortune cookies, as Marisha put it) and some had disappeared. Blake and Ian were fixing the broken parts of the couple salvagable boats.
After an hour or so, we took a break and Blake bought us pizza and drinks at Sunnyside.
We left shortly after. Blake and Ian went back to fixing seats.

It was after 3pm by the time I got home and I was suddenly really tired. I jumped in the jacuzzi and read for awhile. Latter called Jackie to confirm plans for the night. We were meeting at the Pump at 8pm. Tammy called a little early so we headed up there in time to grab a table at the window.

We thought it would be difficult getting a table on a Saturday but the Pump was quieter than usual. We decided it was probably because they were broadcasting the hockey game and not the pay-per-view UFC fight (George St. Pierre vs Jake Sheilds). Earlier in the day, Ian mentioned he was meeting Juice and a couple of other guys at the Loose Moose. Rob Smith is manager there now so I'm sure they had a good night. Because we asked for a table for 6, we actually jumped the line. There's only one and it had just become vacant. It's right between the front door and the fireplace. They had the fireplace whaling away so I sat on the opposite side of the table. Jackie, Carrie, Steph and Katy weren't far behind us and most expressed relief that the fireplace was on because they were cold. Eventually though, they asked the server to turn it off.

You always get a mix of people at the Pump. Tonight, as we were chatting, there would be this really loud belch every once in awhile. Really loud. Carrie and I looked around but the only person within possible range was a Tan-Jay wearing middle-aged woman, typical Lorne Park type. She had been sitting with 3 other people who'd left the table briefly. She was looking over her bill and didn't seem like someone who'd just let one rip. We shrugged and went back to our conversation until a few minutes later it happened again. Now that her friends were back and she was chatting we could see she was pretty drunk. One of her companions was expressing shock that she'd just belched like that and she said, "you think THAT was loud?", as though she'd been challenged.

Carrie was the first to leave - her phone rang and we could hear Noah crying in the background. Mike R. turned up a few minutes later - he had been sitting in the back with a couple of buddies (who he ditched to come and hang out with us).  After about 20 minutes, his friends came looking for him and were noticeably surprised to find him sitting with a tableful of attractive women. They made a move to sit down and Mike said, "no these are all my married buddies wives" and dragged them away. It was almost 1am by the time we left.

Sunday morning was a non-starter. I had that greasy food and red wine kind of gross feeling and, since the weather wasn't anything special, I lay around reading until 9:00am. Around 1pm I met Laurie for coffee at Starbucks - more catching up since we haven't seen each other since February. Lots going on with them since Krista, who has suffered some minor seizures, had a grande mal seizure and had to be taken to emergency. She has epilepsy but they'll know more after further tests on wednesday. So far she's only had seizures in the early morning.

Tonight, Andrew (gears/lululemon) is hosting the premier of his Wipeout appearance at the crooked cue. I was going to go but just not feeling it. I watched a bit on tv though. I kept missing the parts with Andrew but at least saw im make it past the sweeper and into the final six! (when I went to work on Monday, one of my co-workers was all excited that someone I knew had been on the show. Or, more to the point, had met the female host, Jessica. He asked me to find out from Andrew what she smelled like. Men are weird.