It's been so long. How have you been? I guess I'm just having so much fun that I haven't had time to write.

On the long weekend, I had a packed agenda even though I should have been focusing on my home renovations. The preceding Tuesday I'd put a down payment on a new car and, in spite of the money-anxiety, was excited and hoping to get it in time for the long weekend. Didn't happen.

Friday night I had dinner with Andrea, Mckenna and Sydney. I had gotten Sydney a new dress and leggings for her first birthday. Andrea was all pumped about that because she loves leggings and Trevor had forbidden her from buying any more for the girls. He didn't understand her need to have a pair in every colour. She was feeling pretty smug that she'd scored some more, as though she had pulled a fast one on Trev. I also had a crayola gift for Mckenna - Tinkerbell 3D - so she and I sat colouring while Andrea gave Sydney her dinner. Then the rest of us had pizza and juice. Sydney speaks baby sign language - it's insane. The first time I saw Mckenna doing it I couldn't believe it. This little baby under a year old clearly communicating that her diaper needed to be changed or that she wanted more food. I can't help but think how much easier it would have been if Ryan had been able to communicate like that as a baby. Syd kept doing this motion that looked to me like jazz hands. Apparently it means bathtime. Andrea said splashing in the water is her favourite thing. Get that kid in a boat!

After we put the kids to bed, Andrea and I watched Sherlock Holmes but since we talked the whole time she's going to have to watch it again (I've already seen it).

Saturday morning I paddled and in the afternoon we hit the TFC game.

Wow. I went out at lunch and the first thing I see is a guy on a motorcycle doing a wheelie for about 300m across Burnamthorpe rd. Standing up straight. In retrospect, he may have had wheelie bars - it was that solid the entire time. And when he was done, he just dropped the front wheel and headed down the 427 N ramp.

Yesterday I went to Queensway VW and took a test drive in the car I want. Now, whenever I'm in my pathfinder, I'm thinking "If only I had that car, I would be happy. I'd have a smile on my face driving to and from work. Being stuck in construction traffic (like I was last night) would be like a walk in the park". I've actually convinced myself that this is true.

On that topic...my favourite Brit, Russell Brand, is doing a documentary about the pursuit of happiness. And he's doing this, of all places, in Los Angeles. He hopes to raise debate about the scale of consumer culture while promoting the re-use of products in a surplus society. He's hosting an exchange shop at the Beverly Centre where, for one day money will have no currency. Not sure whether he chose L.A. because it's the centre of consumerism in North America or because that's where he's living with gf Katy Perry.

I've seen several of Russell's documentaries and he's quite brilliant so I look forward to this and also to the release of his latest film, Get Him to the Greek.

Have you ever had a mosquito in your room or tent at night - buzzing around your head and keeping you awake? It's annoying, right? You try to ignore it but eventually have to get up, turn on a light and squash it or you'll never get any rest. Then the next morning you have to deal with the blood smear on the wall, your hand, lamp shade - wherever you terminated the little bugger.
On Monday night, I woke up just before 4 a.m.. I could hear a helicopter hovering somewhere close to my house. I started to drift back into sleep but after about 10 minutes realized that the helicopter wasn't leaving. It was clearly circling, hovering, then circling again. For more than two hours I'd start to drift off then be wide awake as it buzzed back into my concsiousness. Eventually I fell asleep and it was gone when my alarm went off. No idea what was going on.

What a great weekend. I had a birthday celebration to go to in Ottawa on May 13th. I had taken a couple of days off work and then I realized that national team trials were the same weekend. Might as well keep driving east, right?
Courtney P. wanted to go too so it worked out perfectly. She stayed at her aunt's somewhere in the burbs and I got a hotel room in Byward Market. I did the birthday thing and in the morning, picked Court up at her aunt's work. We were in Motnreal by noon Friday.

Carrie texted that she'd be out of committee meetings in time for dinner. Courtney and I were staying out in Longuieul. We jumped on the Metro and met Carrie near Peel St. We did a bit of shopping and then had dinner at an italian restaurant. Decent food, good wine list, a cute waiter - exactly what I expect from Montreal.

We headed back to our respective hotels around 9pm and crashed early.

Saturday morning and the weatherman was bang on - cold, rainy and miserable. The rain held off for most of the day but, after a few false starts, settled in to pour for most of the afternoon. we moved from shelter, to outside and back again. During one particularly bad downpour I went and sat in my car. I got to watch some people trying out the para-gliding dome that's at the Basin now.

The C2s were the last races of the day so we stayed to watch. Pretty much everyone we knew had gone home to get warm but it was worth it sticking around. 'Citing! It was close.

By the time we got back to the hotel, Tamlyn and Marta were texting us asking what we were doing for dinner. Ultimately, we decided to order in chinese food and watch movies. Best idea EVAR. We crashed early - we were both wiped out by from cheering and from the cold.
Sunday and the weatherman was 2 for 2. Sunny and warm. Pretty gusty though. I was really great being there and seeing how everyone's doing. Since I haven't competed at CCA since 2008, I've missed out on a lot of stuff. Seriously, I hardly know any of the younger paddlers but it's great to see how the women's canoers are doing. No more stroke-stroke-steeeer-stroke...they paddle like boys (hey, don't judge me).

I stayed to watch K.C. secure her spot on the tour in the A-final then jumped in the car for the long ride into the sunset. No literally. I drove straight into the sun for a solid 5 hours.

I got home to find that one of the guys working on my house had accidentally smashed the glass front of my oven. The contractor said he'll pay to fix it but the thing is pretty old - I'd be surprised if there's anyone who can repair it. I wasn't planning on replacing it so it's a bit of a pain but we'll get it sorted out somehow. I was excited to see the basement floor is finished and it looks pretty great considering it's a laminate. It looks like wood planks! I am so happy to have all this broadloom removed. I'd put up a photo but it's dark now and, since the electrician discovered that the basement is wired like chinese puzzle, some of the lights down there aren't working while he sorts everything out.

Who knows what we'll find when we return to Tarpon Springs next year. I'm not sure which emotion is stronger, sadness or fear. Don't let BP off the hook.

There's been a huge change in the weather. Cold and rainy. Is this going to be another one of those summers where it starts to rain thursday night and the sun doesn't come out until Monday at 6:00am?

On friday night, I had to finish picking my tile so met Mike at the tile store. After that I just headed home and curled up on the couch with a book.


Saturday was my mother's day instead of Sunday. First, I met Marisha at Starbucks to drop off 2 TFC tickets for Carmen and his friend Paul. I headed to the canoe club but took too long getting ready. I had an appointment at the bank for 10am so had to be off the water at 9:30. I didn't push off the dock until 9:04. The lake was messy - strong NW wind meets big swell from the SE. It would have taken too long to get out past the Ridgetown to do anything fun so I did a few runs in the harbour and went back in. Hardly worth rigging my boat, actually.
Ryan came over and since neither of us had eaten we went to Cora's for brunch. We ordered our food and sat chatting. After about 40 minutes I asked one of the bus people if they could check on our meal. She went and found our waitress who peeked at us around the corner made a face of shock and horror before disappearing. (about 15 minutes earlier she had dumped a large orange juice fully in the lap of a guy at the next table. She was having a bad day). Se returned in a few mintues and said she was really, really, REALLY sorry but our food was coming up soon! Really. I asked if she forgot to put in the order and she said yes. We decided to leave since we were on a pretty tight schedule and she followed us up to the front apologizing loudly all the way. It was really embarrassing. I told her she didn't need to apologize, we weren't angry, just hungry. Mistakes happen. Then the manager came out and he apologized all over the place. People were staring. It was so weird because we weren't making a fuss - they were. They gave us certificates for two free meals but the whole thing kind of made me not want to go back. I told Ryan this is why I prefer Helen's.
Anyway, by now it was 1:30 - as we drove past the box plaza at Southdown, I pointed out the all-day breakfast place by Candian Tire. We decided to give it a shot and we had eggs-bene and an omelete in front of us in under 5 minutes.

The weather wasn't getting any better but it wasn't raining (I told Ryan that was the deal-breaker for me) so we headed down to the TFC game on the GO. It started to rain the second we stepped off the train. Damn. The winds were 50-75km hour from the north so straight down the length of the stadium, straight into the net and our faces). TFC scored the first goal with an assist from the wind but they scored 3 more in the second half against the wind so it was worth sticking around!

We warmed up in the train tunnel until it was time to catch the train home. I was really wishing at least one of my bathrooms was functioning. Of all the days I could have used a hot bath...


On Sunday, I had to go back to the tile store early and finish choosing my tile. The plumber was coming over at noon to finish up the plumbing so that Mike can just come on monday, install the tiles etc. Richard was there from noon until 6:00pm. During one of his breaks we got talking about hobbies and stuff. He said that he played the accordian. I told him I had an accordian downstairs so he wanted to see it. It's actually my dad's accordian from when he was little - probably 8 years old. Richard played a couple quick songs - it was pretty awesome!


Since I had to hang around the house, I ended up cleaning the cupboards and shelves in the laundry room. Mike will be ripping those out later so I need to get them ready. I hated missing out on a sunny day and spending it in the dirt and dust but it's good to get that done.


Richard was hammering and cutting stuff upstairs and at one point I heard a crash. I didn't think anything of it but later when I went to the kitchen I realized it wasn't just construction noise. The vibration had shaken loose a light cover in the kitchen and it had smashed all over the floor. I didn't bother saying anything since all of my light fixtures are being replaced.

Adam says, "Don't be alarmed by the times, there is a current."

Because of the warm temps and renovation dust, I've been keeping the windows open at night. Last night I woke up at 4:23am with that feeling... You know the one, where you think a noise disturbed your sleep but you're not sure? Anyway, I lay there for a minute before...there! Definitely a noise but nothing I could define - something like the fabric of a polyester jacket rubbing against itself. It was definitely in the vicinity of my front yard though. I couldn't get to the front bedroom window to check it out because the new tub is blocking the doorway pending installation today (!!) so I went downstairs and peeked out the slit windows at the door. Ah crap, my zone food cooler bag was there so it was probably just the delivery guy dropping it off.
OK, I've been a little annoyed with the delivery guys lately because when I open the cooler, it's clear that it has been tossed around and maybe even thrown up onto the stairs from the driveway. I didn't just come up with that idea -  I actually saw them throwing the bags around in the van one time when they rerouted the delivery to my work. The past couple of weeks, I've found the bag crazy-leaning up against the wall a few times. My meals are kind of jumbled up in their containers which isn't a problem, just not appealing. 
Anyway, as I peered out from behind the little lace curtain like a nosey neighbour, I caught a movement on the stoop. ah, that explains it... the guy must have just dropped the bag off and was still standing there, maybe saw the hall light come on. Which would...mean I was nicely lit...from behind. crap.
I froze. They froze. I waited. Now there was another sound - like wicker creaking under weight. Were they actually sitting down in my basket chair? No, I checked the other window and there was no one in the chair. Okay, this standoff was ridiculous. I flipped on the porch light and opened the door. No one. No one but a red raccoon, madly rolling my zone bag around and trying to open the zipper. Damn! He was going insane!

I brought the bag inside and took everything out to store in the fridge. There was crab in there - I think that explains what had him so worked up.

Whirlpool!
This is one of the things that bugs me about renovations. They reduce us to being excited about things that...well, shouldn't be that exciting. But this makes me happy. They didn't have the plain-jane tub that I picked so the contractor got this one instead. Arm rests! Reclining back! Extra deep! Soothing jets of water! I'm kicking myself for not installing one when I first moved into the house. All of those 4 hour workouts on wintery Saturday mornings could have ended right there.

On my way home from work I picked up the shower heads I wanted. This contractor is so awesome! He spent the lunch hour in Home Depot sending me photos of tubs and fixtures after it turned out the ones I'd selected from the website were unavailable on-site.


It was super hot today (23!) and then, of course, we had a thunder storm. I had put in about 7 km on the water when it hit. Such a surprise because I was paddling south with nothing but blue sky and blue lake in my sightlines. All of a sudden the wind altered - there was still a stiff southerly but now it was also swirling around me. I turned to look at the flags on the pier and there was a giant black cloud crowding down from the north. My timing was pretty good though - I hit the dock on the first crack of thunder.

I was supposed to coach at 7:30 and kept checking the db cancellation line but they didn't cancel practices. It ended up being a bust anyway though. There weren't enough boats so my crew ended up having to take the old Cowan that Ian & Robert obligingly brought in from it's offshore mooring. We left the dock late, in the rain, did a half-assed workout with half a crew and had to come in early. There was some pretty spectacular lighting happening way out over the lake and one of the girls in the boat quietly kept insisting that she would "feel much better if we would just take her to the dock". She was seriously scared. And I wasn't ignoring her, we were just a km or so from the dock at the time. I told the rest of the crew that we were going to drop one person off but they decided we should just call it a night. Back on shore several people told me they were actually scared by the lightning but didn't want to speak up. Interesting that social fear can outweigh a primal fear.

I finally made a doctor's appointment for this annoying flutter in my upper right stomach region. It's been coming and going for about a year now but lately it's too frequent to ignore. Unfortunately my doctor is on vacation but they've booked me in to see his nurse-practitioner late next week.

And check out Kaylynne's blog for the "Disease of the Day - Diverticulitus". Not going to lie, I love her posts on favourite recipes and where to get the yummiest cupcakes but her adventures in clinical internship are equally entertaining!

Oh, and sometime on the weekend my blog passed the 25,000 visitors mark!

The renovations started on my house this morning. Yeah, I know I said never again but 2 of the bathrooms are pooched. The sinks are rusting and the enamel has flaked off, the toilet in the master bath runs constantly so I had to shut it off and I have to use vice grips to turn on the cold water in the main shower. I'm actually kind of excited for the changes.

Mike showed up at 7am and had started tearing out the master bath before I'd even left for work! I'm ripping out everything and putting in a shower instead of replacing the tub. I'll put a soaker tub in the main bathroom.

Tammy is a big help - no surprise! How many houses have she and Greg renovated? She's meeting me at the Tile Shoppe after work to help pick my tile. Mike sounded really relieved when I told him she was helping me.

She also told me about a great site for home reno ideas

The weather is warming up and I'm able to spend more time paddling on the lake. Last night I paddled 6km to the west and was loving every minute in my tank top and shorts. I had to coach at Sunnyside so was limited on time and turned at Petro Canada's pier. As I made the turn and the Toronto skyline swung into view I had the briefest of brief nine-eleven moments. A plume of black smoke poured into the sky from the base of the CN tower. I realized immediately that it was just a really big fire somewhere in the vicinty of the city lakefront but it's amazing how locked into our subconscious the image of the two towers is!
The fire was out long before I made it back to the club.

Mary was well loved  - the line-up outside the church extended around the building and across the entire parking lot and it was SRO in the church. I was a little late by the time I found a parking spot and walked back to the church so never did get to talk with Courtney, Kirsten or Mark. Still, it was good to know they've got such an extensive support system. Mary comes from a big family with lots of sisters.

A memorial mass for Courtney and Kirsten's mom will be held Tuesday April 27th at 11am. More information can be found here .

It's starting to feel like summer! The weather has been amazing and people are gradually turning up at the club - Chris & Dana have been down regularly. Matt's been back since yesterday and there was a K.C. sighting. So the midgets won't own the club completely this summer.
I've been paddling every day but the lake's still pretty cold and I'd much rather paddle in a tank top and suffer the drag of the river than cover myself in neoprene to go out on the lake (it's been flat anyway).

For sure I see funnier stuff on the river. Last night as I approached the 1000 on my last lap, I could see Dean doing endless crazy loops and s-turns in the motorboat. I was turning at the thousand anyway so slowed down to see if, you know, he'd had a stroke or something. No, not a stroke. He was just chasing two ducks. Yeah, Dean. The guy who brings stale bread in the motorboat so he can feed the ducks & geese while he coaches was now tormenting them. I dodged around the motorboat and the ducks who were trying to get away from the crazy and raised an eyebrow at him. He explained that those two ducks had been pecking and chasing an injured duck - broken wing - on the shore so he was chasing them off. I didn't actually say anything but he put up his hand and said "I know. I know what your'e thinking, I should let nature take its course. Well, I'm part of nature. This is me, nature, taking it's course."  It didn't seem worth pointing out that he would probably stress two healthy ducks to death in order to save one wounded duck that will die anyway.

Tonight it was time controls for the HP group so I spent more time on the lake and didn't see any more weirdness. The wind is starting to come up a bit so there were some fun bumps in the harbour. You can sure tell the spot where the drop off is though - the water gets cold immediately. I pretty much stayed in the area bounded by the Ridgetown to the east and the first pier to the west. Apparently the wind is supposed to be massive on Friday.

I suddenly remembered that it was the first night for coaching at Sunnyside tonight so only did about 5-6km before I had to head in. On my way out I spoke briefly to Chrissy and then ran into Eve. So great to see them there! There are only 2 wics coming up at the club - Nina and Krista (and I've seen Krista out in K-boats twice) so it's good to have a couple more around. Eve's using Jess' boat while Jess is in Esquimalt for her training - did I mention she's joined the naval reserve?

We had a going away party for Jess at the Crooked Q on Sunday. Tamlyn and I made an awesome frigate cake for her - the HMCS Rando. I have some photos on my camera and will add them later. Chrissy & Jeff, Jess' sister Diana, K.C., Tamlyn, Evenclifford (Eve & Clifford, that is), Del, Katy, Scott, Harley & me. Nice to see Jess before she leaves. She says she's going to start a blog so we can follow her adventures. I'll add a link once she's sent it.

There's an article in today's Globe about William Shatner being a potential candidate for governor general. Wouldn't that be great? And there was something else I wanted to mention that was in the news. It'll come to me, I'm sure. Oh, I know I wanted to mention that planes were grounded worldwide because of that volcano erupting in Iceland. But that wasn't the thing...Anyway, clearly time for bed.

Strange coincidence...last night I caught a few minutes of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (just the clip below) and then today I watched an episode of Bones online while I was at work. Okay, that's not strange, the strange thing is the fact that within a 24 hour period, I was twice presented with the story/myth of the origin of love. (even more strange, Hedwig, a trani cult-classic from 2001, was on CHCH tv during prime time.)

The myth, as presented by Aristophanes in Plato's Symposium, is that humans originally consisted of four arms, four legs and a single head made of two faces. Zeus, fearing their power, split them in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half to complete them. (this myth also outlines why there is hetero & homosexual love - not all humans were composed of male-female halves. Some were male-male or female-female)

Here it is as presented by Hedwig and the Angry Inch;



I've been a jerk with regard to my recent (romantic) relationships, not bothering to maintain or nurture them. Is it weird that as I fail at relationships, I've gotten better at taking care of my plants? Anyway, I think divorce lawyers beat all the romance out of me and this is the face smack I need. Whatever coincidence brought it to my attention, it's obvious I need an attitude adjustment or I'll be on the road to becoming a lonely, bitter, old woman.

Now get off my lawn!

I had the best sleep last night so, when I woke up at 5:45am, I figured I might as well get up and go paddle. There was a full moon hanging low over Starbucks. It was still fairly dark so I put my boat on the ramp (absolute low tide at the moment) and I sipped my misto as the moon sunk behind the bayou. As soon as it was light enough, I pushed off.

More wind this morning - I'm good and sick of it but then I just have to think about the Pines and the screaming winds on the Indian-Banana waterways and I feel better. Last night was ridiculous though. 30km hour winds. I only did 8km in the afternoon. Such a tough paddle.

When Conor got home from the site, we went to the grocery store with our spaghetti dinner list. So nice to be having sit-down meals with the boys. Conor was reminding me of our trip to training camp (the Pines) in 2000. We were having a laugh about Matty-B and how their training group used to stuff him in a boat cover and zip it up for entertainment. Ah Matt! So fun.

Dinner was great and then we watched one of the Family Guy movies. Everyone crashed fairly early.

Right now I'm doing some laundry but pretty soon I'll head out for the afternoon. I did a 14km paddle this morning so this aft, I'll just paddle up to the beach and chill. I keep hoping that the wind will die down but I know the weathernetwork report has not varied one iota from the predicted 17km/hr winds today.

Hurray, Tomi & Conor are here! Week three of OPA and the group is switching up. I've been sleeping on the couch for the past two nights. Don't get me wrong, it's super comfy but since I'm camping in the common living area for 6 other people, I'm tied to their schedule. And those dragon boat ladies like to get up EARLY!

However, they've returned to their homes and I'm in my own room now. It's the best accommodations yet - the bed is awesome and I have a view of the swamp right out back. No, I mean it literally comes right up to the foundation of the house. It's so relaxing - the sounds and the light, I keep the windows open at night.

Tamas arrived first, just as Pete was heading to Tampa to meet Conor's flight. We were just hanging out catching up on each others lives when there was a knock at the door. Tomi opened the door and a guy asked for Doug somebody. I was lounging on the couch and, since Tamas had just arrived, I called out that there hadn't been anyone by that name here. He then asked if there was a Rick here, Doug's brother, because he was a repo man here to pick up something that they had defaulted on. I jumped up and went to the door expecting maybe a scary-looking repo-type guy but it was just a pleasant looking small guy with a clipboard. We explained we were renters and didn't actually know the guys who owned the place. Repo guy asked if he could ook in the garage. Now, the garage has been a sore point all month because normally it's used for storing paddles, lifejackets, amas, etc but for some reason this year it's locked down tight and Rick hasn't responded to any emails asking for access. So we told Repo-depot that we didn't have access to the garage. He went around the corner to see if he could find a window to peek in. His tow truck was idling at the end of the driveway and since the guy who owns this place also owns the house next door (or maybe his girlfriend does), we thought they might come over to investigate what was going on.

They guy came back to the door and was really nice about the situation. He apologized that he might have to come back with the sheriff and break down the garage door. We said cool, as long as he didn't mind us video-taping it and putting it on youtube!

Peter & Conor arrived not too long after that. United Airlines had lost Conor's luggage and had given him a "Sky Spa" kit to hold him over until they found it. It contained many useful items like hairpsray.

We let Peter know about the repo guy and we all thought it explained the mystery of the locked garage.
None of us had eaten so we used my virgin Papa John's online account to order pizza.

Had some fun at the camp dinner last night - we went to Costa's. This is a particularly fun group but they surprisingly packed it in very early. However it was nice to catch up with people I used to coach - Joe from the RT crew and Sue from SOTW.
I'ver moved into the house now with Pete and am very happy to be out of my room at the T.I.
The ladies staying at the house woke up very early this morning; at 5:40am flipping on the lights, making coffee, whispering how they hoped they wouldn't wake me. Since I'm sleeping on the couch, I had anticipated an early morning and was ready with training clothes on the end of the couch and my back pack packed with a change of clothes, towel, garmin, iPod, water and an apple. I quickly changed and was on the road by 6:15. It was still dark so I went to Starbucks and read until the sun rose. I actually have to thank the ladies. I had the best paddle so far.

The park at the bayou was already busy - it's their big art show this weekend. I slipped out on the water with something mellow on the ipod - Rickie Lee Jones I think. Because the Spring Bayou boat ramp was closed for the Art show and it was low tide there were absolutely no boats on the water. And no wind. I paddled on glass with a slight mist rising for 2.5 km before I was even aware of myself.

I did about 17 km. Once I was out on the Gulf though, there was continuous boat traffic from the Hickory Point boat launch and, as the tide rose, the bigger boats from town, like the Two Georges, made their way along the channel. I turned and paddled in with the tide.

When I got back in, the campers had just finished the Kolo Memo - everyone had huge smiles on their faces. I said goodbye to the ones I knew and headed for my car. I cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes so I could wander around the art show. This wasn't like the ones we have at home where the best & brightest of our retired men and church ladies display their watercolours of roses (no offence). There was some truly wonderful and original stuff! I was very tempted to purchase a black & white image of a gulf view (coincidentally the name of the piece) done in a glass process I've never seen before. I decided instead to get a coffee and consider whether I really wanted it or if it would turn out to be a $250 impulse purchase.

Wandering across the park, I had one of those moments of pure, undiluted happiness.

Ultimately, I purchased two pieces from one artist. He uses a router to create the design on wood, then paints with acrylics, finishes with varnish, frames in maple. I love his work and could easily have come home with a half dozen pieces. One I liked (but didn't purchase) bordered on kitzchy - a Haring-like barking dog framed by the words "how come my dog don't bark when you come around?"

Anyway, the pieces I bought are called 'Tucked In' (approx. 12" x 36")

and 'Sea Dreaming' (approx. 36" x 36")

It's weird because that is the second mermaid I've purchased in a week. Mermaids, (unicorns, fairys, etc) have never appealed to me specifially because they're mythical so I don't get what spawned this. Come to think of it, I bought a mermaid fridge magnet when I was in Athens, after our ordeal on the ocean. I suppose it could have something to do with that.

I walked around for a little longer and then left before I spent more money. Grabbed a chicken sandwich at Panera and ate my lunch at the house. I'm so pleased to have this big place and a pool to lie beside that I've opted to stay here while the others go down to the practice site. When I was staying at the motel, I had to continuously come up with things to do, jsut so I wouldn't have to spend any time in that room. Jess & Pete just put all the paddles into the pool. I didn't ask why, maybe because they (the paddles, not Jess &Pete) have been frying in the hot sun in the back of the pick-up. I'm going to lie poolside listening to the carbon paddles klink together - a BRAČA wind chime.


ahhhhh. Life is...

I had just read Seb's post that it was raining up in Hommosasses & within 20 min. I heard it coming down hard outside. I opened my door and it was like a mini tornado going through. Shit! The boats!
I drove down to the boat ramp and there was a boat lying half in the ramp. There was a lot of lightning so I pulled the car up close, jumped out and grabbed the seat which was just floating away. The lightning was getting closer so I scoped out the exact spot I wanted to move it to from the car before making a move. I was soaked by the time I finishd but it's between the 2 oc-6s so it's not going anywhere. Will have to see if there's any damage in the morning.

I woke up at 6am but didn't get on the water until 8:30. Tide is coming in but there's a really stiff tailwind which creates great waves for riding.
Out...
Coming back in was a different story. Such a weird workout. It feels like I'm going faster on the way out with the waves and wind at my back but, coming back into the headwind is so tough but my speed goes up by about one or two km/hour because I'm with the tide.

There's this really big house - green and white - that takes up one of the curves on the river, just before Sunset Beach. I've noticed it since the first year we started coming here, partly because it's so well-kept (as in "wouldn't I love to liver there!) but also because there's usually a big tour-style bus parked beside it. I've often wondered if it's owned by a rock star. Today and dark navy helicopter flew in low over the river as I was paddling up, I thought it was just coming in for a look (lots of dolphins today) but it landed at the green house. It took off within a couple of minutes and flew over me, just yards above my head. A couple of middle-aged guys were fishing off the dock. Now I wonder if it's a politicians place.

up at 7am
Starbucks
On the water at 7:45
Heavy fog on the bayou. It has a garlicky-salty smell - like something cooking that might taste really good (or really bad). The sun is huge and yellow in the east. The fog burns off quickly as I go up the Anclote. I paddle out to channel marker 5a (7km) without seeing anyone although the factories along the water start their thrumming promptly at 8. No joke - it's like some heartbeat that you gradually forget about the longer you're on the water. Not sure what's in production. This town seems to be slowly dying.

Beautiful, amazing paddle. No wind for the first time since I've been here. Still though, completely flat (=boring). I'm actually thrilled when a fishing boat goes by at low speed and creates some wash.

I came back in and hit Starbucks again. It's a two coffee day. I meet up with Jess and we have breakfast at Danny K's. Restaurant food is starting to wear on me and I leave half my breakfast uneaten. We get our gear together and paddle out to Sunset beach (I had to ask a server in Santorini's what the name is since we never go in from the road where the sign is.. They show movies on the beach there at dusk on Saturdays.

Jess had to get back early for a camper bbq but I lay there until 4:30 or so before paddling back in. Fun. The tide was coming in and I caught a ride on the wash of two commercial fishing boats - if I fell off the wash of the first one, I used the second one to catapult me back onto it again. I leapfrogged like that all the way back in and the 4km ride in went by in a second!
Random, a guy on a stand up paddleboard appeared out of one of the canals.  As I passed him, he asked if I'd like to swap. I laughed and said I was surprised to see an SUP out here. He said he lives here and finds it a great way to get around the river. I was having so much fun wash-riding that I waved goodbye and kept going. He seemed like an interesting guy though so I'll stop if I see him out there again.

After showering off the sunscreen, salt and sand, I walked into town and found a place with real coconut ice cream - mmmyyyy favourite. I don't actually like ice cream so I guess you could say it's my only ice cream flavour. Is everyone in this town a character? The ice cream guy asked where I was from and, when I said Toronto, launched into an epic tale of how his great-great-great grandfather was the original owner of the native-contested land in Caledonia. But, did I know it actually started in 17-hundred & something in Pennsylvania...when William Wallace (?!) begat someone, then this women blah blah, this indentured servant.....and so I said I'd love to hear more but was on my way to meet friends, had to go, thanks so much....random history lesson!

It's such a nice evening,  I wandered around town, picked a greek salad up at Santorini's and ate it in the park by the bayou, watching the manatees bob up and down again.

Excited for another early morning paddle tomorrow. Now that I'm halfway through my trip, I'm beginning to realize how much warm-water paddling I'd better squeeze in. We're in for another thunder storm on the weekend, unfortunately, so I may use that as an excuse to go to Tampa for the day.

All of my devices (GPS & iPod) are on low battery so I'm killing time on the motel office computer while they recharge.

This morning I woke up at 7am but instantly fell back asleep until 7:45. Within that 45 minutes I had a crazy, anxiety & anger-filled dream that was incedibly detailed. (it was about having to finish the swimming leg of a relay but I was frustrated by forgotten equipment, rescheduling of the relay, no transportation and someone strangely trying to stop me from racing). I put it all down to the residual, smushy pain I was feeling under my left shoulderblade.

Anyway, By the time I woke up, I knew Pete's group would just be gathering at the boat ramp for the 8am workout so I decided to go to Starbucks before my paddle

There's nothing like motel living to make you appreciate Starbuckers and the like. This particular store has their comfy furniture arranged for single visitors with a couple of tables scattered around. Anyone who frequents the PC Starbucks can tell you they'd do well to follow this model. I've been in there many times (usually in the afternoon and evening) when every table has only a single user who is taking advantage of the free wireless, reading or just loitering. Actually, I shouldn't complain. I once met a guy because we shared a table there and started chatting. We went on a few dates but it didn't really go anywhere. Anyway, the point is I'm so happy to have somewhere out of my room to enjoy my coffee and book in a comfy chair. I'll often go over to the park at the bayou but those benches are hard.

Around 9:30, I headed out in my boat, going up the Anclote River instead of towards the Gulf. The tide was going out so I hit the bottom around 3.5kms and had to turn around. I worked it up to 9km by paddling up towards the Gulf a ways.

As I was passing under the final bridge, Jess ran by overhead. She wanted to go for coffee in a half hour - after her run, but I'd made plans to ride down to Dunedin and declined. I had my afternoon pretty much mapped out.

I made good time and decided to stay for lunch. The patio at Kelly's was hit and miss with the sun but I didn't mind. You can tell the Canadians - we're the ones wearing short sleeves and no jackets. I'm still blown away by how good the service is in the US compared to Canada. Servers are polite and attentive compared to our surly and bitter ones at home (or is that just T.O.?)

I wandered a bit and bought a wooden mermaid as a souvenir. It's similar but not identical to the one below - painted white, she carries a star in outstretched arms. I really like it and am excited to find a place for it at home. (oh my god, I'll be wearing a purple hat soon). Since I was riding my bike, I had to tuck her into my bike bag with her tail sticking out about a foot. It looked like I was bringing fish home for dinner.

I took it easy in my room for awhile but when I got ready to go out again, the door wouldn't close and lock. It's been doing this all week - I have to slam it in order to get it to lock. However, today it's hit the point of no return. I had told the maintenance guy about it before just because housekeeping didn't always make sure it was locked when they left the room. He kept putting me off but this time he had to fix it.
Just noticed the time, hopefully my GPS & iPod have enough charge for the next paddle. I was hoping the wind would die down a bit by evening but it's looking pretty strong. Doesn't matter...sun is shining.

Oh man. I went out for half an hour to grab a sandwich and when I got back there was a massive takedown going on at the good old Tarpon Inn. 5 police cars. I just locked myself in my room but I could still hear the drama. Anyway, there was some yelling but it's quiet now. I'm going to go out to see if I can move my car. I had to park down the block because the sheriffs' cars were all over the parking lot.

Nope, still a mess out there but I moved my car anyway.

Yesterday it poured rain with lightning so Jess and I had breakfast at Danny K's and then went to the Gulf View Mall in New Port Richey (or Port Richey, I can't keep them straight plus their about 1km apart). I wasn't really in the mood for mall shopping but it was a distraction.

After I dropped Jess off at their place, I hit Panera's for a sandwich. Later, I walked over to Walgreens and took the long way home. The sky had cleared and there was a great sunset over the Gulf. I painted my toes with OPI's Hearts and Tarts and watched trashy tv for awhile. Early night since I wanted to get on the water as soon after sunrise as possible.

Woke up at 7:15, ate some yogurt and headed to the bayou. There was the usual headwind adn, when I picked up my boat to carry it to the ramp, a gust caught the boat sideways. In turning it intot he wind, one of my ribs popped out. I thought I might be able to work it back in with some long easy strokes but it didn't take long to realize that, yep, it's was popped out good. I couldn't take a deep breath. I paddled 10km anyway just because it feels good while you're paddling.

When I got back, I tried to find somewhere that sells foam rolls. Walmart sells them but only online - 3 to 5 days express delivery but they don't carry them in-store. I thought I'd found a fitness store really close by but when I got to the location, the street existed but didn't have the same name as it did on the map (every other street in the area was right). Also, there was a sign-making store at that unit number. However, just as I was making a u-turn, I saw a Cross-fit location. I went in and talked to the guy running it and he let me use on of their foam rolls to see if I could pop it back in. I wasn't able to there but it felt a little better after 15-20 minutes.

I decided to try Walmart anyway - you never know - so headed back to Port Richey to the Supercentre. They didn't have the proper foam roll but they did carry oversized pool noodles. I got one of those and cut it in half. I rolled on it a bit - no results but still felt a little better. I ate some lunch and had a bunch of water then tried again. On the first roll there was a huge crack and - HURRAY - I could breath without pain again. It's still tender but I went out this afternoon and had a wicked 12km paddle - 6 were in that killer headwind but the 6km back were pure pleaseure with the tailwind and tide bringing me home.

Now I'm doing laundry and will probably go for a run or bike ride tonight. I enjoyed my sunrise paddle so much this am I'm going to do it again tomorrow. This time I'm going to get up a little earlier and get a thermos full of Starbucks to enjoy on the beach at the halfway point.

The Kolo Memorial Biathlon this am. The kids came down from their camp. 10am start - paddle then run. Keir won for men's kayak, chris for men's canoe, Courtney for women's kayak. I won for womens canoe. Haha no, just kidding. There were no women's canoers racing :(

after loading the boats, everyone went to Muzzies for the famous sandwiches. I got Attila & pete to order mine so i wouldn't have to wait once the mass of paddlers got there. (the staff at Muzzies didn't know what hit them when 20 kids showed
up at once!)

in the afternoon, jess and I paddled out to the beach for the afternoon. Lots of dolphin action. Also lots of boats coming into the Anclotte river when we were paddling back in. Like the 400 on a summer weekend!

Dinner was the second half of my Muzzies sandwich (impossible to finish a whole one at a single sitting). We rented Little Miss Sunshine and watched it at the house. I uploaded my photos from the day to Peter's laptop but the Internet was down all night so I couldn't put them up on fb.

I left the house around 11pm and asi rounded the curve on Centrewood, my lights caught two deer just standing on the sidewalk. They didn't seem spooked and I was tempted to stop & try to get a photo but decided they'd probably take off if thecar stopped. Plans to meet for breakfast at 10am tomorrow.

Watching snl.

Stuff.
Ian found a seahorse. We can't tell if it's dead but it moves slightly when u pick it up so we put it back in the water

I went for a hard paddle this morning and then a bike ride out to Howrd Park and all around Tarpon Springs. Had a quick lunch then went out for another (easy) pAddle. Ther was a stiff headwind and the tide was high. Saw a trio of dolphins and hoped they would come and swim with me but just then the Spongeorama boat came by and they jumped on it's wash. So fun just to watch them having so much fun.

Had dinner at Crabby Bill's with Peter, Attila, Jess, Ian & Alicia. We were going to go back to the house & play poker but I could see everyone was tired and winding Dow (me as well) and bailed.
My tv remote had stopped working and the front desk said they would send someone to reprogram it. Clearly they forgot but I just googled the tithe tv brand along with the remote brand and model number. Brilliant interweb coughed up instructions for bypassing the code. I am once again prone and flicking through the channels instead of crouchng on the floor in front of the tv. Done & done.

My main interent access is on my iPhone and it's not the most convenient for blogging so posts will be infrequent.

The day I left for Florida, Ian Howes decided to come down as well so I had someone to travel with. It also meant we could drive straight through instead of stopping overnight. Suhweet!

The weather was amazing for the whole time I was driving but when Ian took over it started to pour and, since we were up in the mountains by this time, foggy too. It rained off and on pretty much until we got to Tarpon Springs.

The first day, Jess and I went for an easy paddle, talking the whole time. We hit up Panera's and did some other stuff and then went for another paddle in the afternoon.

On Sunday, I went for a paddle and then a run and got back to the ramp in time to see Daddio, Olga and Tamas jr as well as Sarah's parents. I met up with Jess afterwards and we paddled the 6km out to the Gulf and then headed to the beach. We hung out there for an hour or so and then paddled back in. The weather has been perfect since we arrived (which, th locals tell us was theturning point of a 7 or 8 week freezing, rainy stretch)

On Monday, I jumped on my bike and rode out to Dunedin - i think it's about 25km but will have to check on G-Earth (or Girth, as I like to call it). I arrived before anything much was open so went to Kelly's Chic-a-Boom-Room for brunch - so good, eggs benedict with turkey and chili-lime hollandaise. Seriously delicious!

I rode back, packed a dry bag, jumped in my boat and headed for the Gulf against an insane headwind at high tide. I hung out at the beach for about 40 minutes, then paddled back in. It wasn't too bad - even thought the tide was going out, the wind was at my back.

I grabbed a coffee at starbucks and then walked over to the sponge docks. It was PACKED with tourists so I only went into one store. One of the sales clerks started talking to me and then, because of my "accent" asked where I was from. Turns out she's from Alberta, has lived here for a little over a decade and wants to move back to B.C. (has a horror of raising her new little baby in Florida). I mentioned that I might start looking for a place in the future and, since she doesn't want to move until a year or so from now, I'm going to go check out her place. It's a little further south than I was considering but it's right on the Pinellas Trail and about 1km from the Gulf - 1920s bungalow finished in red oak. We shall see!

I decided to grab dinner at the Lime 'n Coconut - ceviche and shrimp. Ahhh perfect day!

I dropped by Pete's house on my way out that night - I was on a hunt for a decent book store (a rare animal, believe me!) Howe's is convinced that there are no stores dedicated to selling books anywhere in this area (although we think there might be many book-burning stations in teh state). They suggested I hit Target. I did and found two aisles of books - one of which was completely dedicated to youth literature (read "Vampire Stories") and the other to biographies of american personalities. however I did find something I've been meeding to read so was satisfied with the trip. I went to bed early which turned out to be a good thing since the people in the room above mine came in at 4:00am and banged around for awhile.

A couple lost hours in the middle of the night meant I slept in until about 8:30 and spent longer than usual drinking my starbuck's coffee. I felt great as I headed out for a paddle - 12 km (6 hard into the wind and against the tide and 6 amazing!! with both tide and wind at my back....
I was so starving when I got back that I decided today was the day for a Danny K's (aka Helen's South) breakfast. I was just on my way out for a run but stopped by the motel office to replenish my toilet paper stock (no housekeeping here) when I saw the interent computer was free. Bonus. So now I'm all caught up!

Today is Eve's last chemo treatment. Over the next few days she will feel progressively worse but, given the positive attitude she's maintained throughout this process and the fact that she is D-O-N-E, she will be happy that it's all over. If you know her, drop her a line to cheer her up! I know it means a lot to her to hear from us.

going for a run and then my afternoon paddle. Cheers!

*Spoiler alert* - this post contains content about personal bikini waxing. May spoil your appetitie, your day, your desire to read my blog.

The full realization that I'm going away on holidays just hit me last night so on my way home from work, I spontaneously dropped into the sweatshop at the Loblaws plaza for a pedicure + wax (no vajazzling for this girl's lady bits).

This nail place has always been a little sketch but I go there because it's one of the few in our area that does a proper brazillian (and it's on my way home from the canoe club). However, it's hitting a new low which makes me think they've already given up the lease and will be closed by the end of the month.

The place was empty of clients and only one esthetician - who I'd never met & looked about 12 - was on duty. The pimp was there, of course, guarding the cash register but no one else. That should have tipped me off but I figured 5pm on a Thursday is not peak mani-pedi time.

Anyway, you know how they usually cover the waxing table with paper sheeting? This time the girl only put down a 1'x1' square at ground zero. I thought huh? but was already standing there with no pants on and wasn't about to start questioning their cost-saving measures.
I was sceptical - anytime you ask a nail shop worker if they know how to do a brazillian they always "Oh yes" -  but she actually did a good job.

Okay, so since this was a spur-of-the-moment thing I didn't have two key pedicure items with me: my own nail colour and flip-flops for the trip home. I wasn't worried though - salons provide polish and paper sandals. I'd carry my shoes and wear the paper ones home.

Unfortunately, their nail polish carousel only had a limited colour choice. I selected a light pink but it had been thinned to the point of opacity so I had to pick something else - something I wasn't too crazy about. And when it came time to dry them, she pulled out a pair of regular flip flops!??! They were new/clean but reusable flops are so not cool for multi-use... but there I was with wet toes so there wasn't much I could do.

I paid, returned the sandals and walked barefoot to my car. It wasn't so bad but they had used rock-salt for the sidewalk throughout the winter. That, along with the staring from plaza patrons, was only mildly uncomfortable.

The really dumb thing about all this is that there are like a bajillion spas in Clarkson. Okay, three, but you'd think I'd just go there instead. But the truth is brazillians hurt - they hurt whether they cost $40 or $80 so I choose to pay $40. However, this experience has made me rethink thriftiness and when I get back from Fla, it'll be first class all the way!

Sick of basking in the glow of the Vancouver Olympics yet? Tired of the self-love, the aren't we wonderful stage? Well too bad...

While writing a post about how great it is to be part of a country that comes of age during an Olympic celebration rather than wartime, I came across this video I've been searching for for years.

I originally saw Atomic Cafe around 1982 at the old Roxy Theatre.  I loved that place! It was at Greenwood-Danforth and everyone went there (or The New Yorker) to see the cult classics - 2001: A Space Odyssy, Reefer Madness, Rocky Horror, Pink Flamingos, The Song Remains the Same...

Maybe that's why my dream is to open a similar venue in the Port Credit Town Hall. If only I had unlimited cash. (Let's face it, if I had unlimited cash, I'd move somewhere tropical).

Anyway, if you have a chunk of time on your hands and are interested in seeing how much we evolved over the second half of the last century, watch this documentary. It has all kinds of cold war goodness.

Here's another entertaining bit of statistical trivia from the winter Olympics. Canada had a fantastic result but Norway was amazing if you look at medals per capita.

Many of our athletes who didn't win medals were just fractions of a second behind the gold medal winner. Check out the Ny Times comprehensive illustration of just how close that can be...

...because nothing says "I love you" like a good vajazzling !

I'm a big fan of the Old Spice Manmercials. Especially the ones featuring Isaiah Mustafa...

Just caught a couple minutes of American Idol and now I need to scrub my ears with some Gil Scott Heron.

On Sunday morning, I walked up to the coffee shop in Clarkson for breakfast and a latte. It used to be called Creamdales but it's under new management and I didn't note the new name. They're planning to go all organic. Anyway, I grabbed a table in the window. It was an amazing, sunny day and I wasn't in any hurry to leave. Fortunately I'd brought a book - a cover for what amounts to pure laziness. You can sit around forever if you're reading.

When I got home, I checked email and took a look at my blog stats. I noticed that someone had come to my blog by searching a friend. This is actually really common and the way that lots of people end up at my blog. What caught my attention was that the search was done from my friend's own office network server at 10:13 on Saturday night. I sent her an email saying not to be creeped out but she was so I sent her the name and position of the person (for those of you who think your visits are anonymous...well, they're not.) Anyway, don't know yet if she asked the person why they were doing a search on her. Intriguing!

Cool, go to Google Maps to do a virtual run on olympic courses...Skeleton!!

So tired this past week. And for no reason. Anyway, I've booked my vacation and have something to look forward to in March.

Carrie and I co-hosted the book club at my house on Tuesday. It was so great to see everyone after a particularly long break between meetings. Co-hosting worked out really well too - Carrie brought the food, I bought the wine. I thought most of the women drank white so bought 3 white, 3 red. As it turned out, I should have just picked up 6 bottles of red. Through the entire night I only poured one glass of white. And boy, did these ladies need a night out! They're all young mothers and I forget how restrictive their lives are. Actually, Lee Anne brought her new little girl - just 7 days old (can that be right? I have to check). And Lisa brought her little girl who must be 6 months or so. Both left early. We took longer than usual socializing but did finally get around to discussing the selection - Book of Negroes --by Lawrence Hill.

I was so tired the next day, I skipped my usual spin workout and went to bed early. Still tired on Thursday and skipped SST as well. I hope this is just a seasonal thing. Maybe I've just become lazy (lazier).

For Friday, I reminded Chanda to show up early for paddle pool so we could jump in with the kayakers but unfortunately their workout was switched to the morning. Rumour is that someone in the paddlesport group complained about them overlapping into our time (btw, the masters called & they want you in their program). It's actually so much better to do the workout with the kayakers but whatever. I'll be in warm, sunny, salty place soon.

On Saturday, Excel gym hosted a spinathon for Eve. I did an hour at 11am (which means I got out of bed at 10:25 - shameful). I believe it was organized by Carrie's parents but I got requests from different people to fill bikes so I'm not sure - maybe it was a group effort. I hadn't been there before so it was cool to check out a new facility in the neighbourhood. They ran the hour like a spin class and it was fairly tough. Bonus - oranges and Starbucks coffee were provided!

Since there were a couple of slots open in the afternoon (the spin ran from 7-7) I promised to see if the paddlesport group wanted to take part. There were only 3 of us but one really wanted to do paddle pool.

I went home and slept for an hour before heading back to the canoe club for Rachel's wig party. Tons of people turned up - wearing wigs - it was completely awesome. I also had the winning bid on the Crayola silent auction package. Guess what your kids are getting for presents...Pics are up on fb.

One of my favourite guys contacted me on fb last night. Bob Craymer was every girls favourite crush all through junior and high school. He was super cute...as in David Cassidy cute, which in the early 70s was the best kind of cute. Actually, the first time I saw Ashton Kutcher on That '70s Show, I thought "OMG, Bob Craymer!"


All through school our classes and locker assignments were alphabetically determined, so - Craymer-Curry - we were always in the same home room with lockers beside each other. The fact that he'd frequently pull the back hem of my dress over my head during hallway rush hour never changed my opinion of him. He had the best attitude: always positive, sweet, he charmed everyone and crossed over the boundaries of adolescent cliques. In all of my memories, Bob is laughing.

He did some modelling while we were in school and for years after was the lead singer for the moderately successful band, Trixie Goes Hollywood.

I guess we all assumed he would continue with one of these careers or move into acting. Instead, he's now designing green furniture and interiors in Los Angeles.

Check out his website: robertcraymer.com

It's really too bad that he doesn't deliver to Canada because he's done some beautiful work!

I was having drinks with a friend recently and, while discussing a particular situation, they observed that I was “really good friends with so-and-so”. I didn't say anything at the time because I was caught off guard. Since I’ve never considered the person in question a friend, the idea that others might think we were came as a complete surprise.

Later at home, I thought about my relationship with this person. Did they think we were friends? They'd definitely been calling me a lot lately to vent about something or someone. It's not a conversation, more of a hostage taking. ***Note: I'd like to apologize to the people I've forced to suffer through my imagined, personal dramas*** Anyway, when they call, I have no choice but to listen. (And, shameful as it is, I have on occasion put the phone down and walked away. They're always still talking when I come back.). Eventually, I have to get back to work and end up cutting them off mid-sentence.

Have I, simply by answering the phone, contributed to their misperception that I'm "there for them"? Just when I've decided to start distancing myself from them, I suddenly feel this crushing burden of responsibility.

From this, I'm sure you can figure out that the friend is female. Guys don't care if you're friends. While they may have one or two really close buddies, for the most part they care more about maintaining beneficial relationships. That can mean anything from a person who makes you laugh to someone who can get tickets to a basketball game. Women it seems, are hardwired to declare their friend status all over the place and demand proof– we're best friends, BFFs, whatever. Crap. Did this mean I would have to declare that we were not friends?

Okay, here's the thing. In my life, I've made major alterations to my opinion on what constitutes a friend. Pre-divorce, I thought everyone was my friend; my boyfriend's roommate's girlfriend, the guy who spins videos at work, the cafeteria lady or the convenience store guy.

After I got divorced and all my female friends abandoned me for the single guy my husband became, I got an education in the definition of friend. The field narrowed considerably. It was further diminished when the guy I considered my failsafe, my mentor-in-single-life declared that we were definitely not friends.

So like we do, I adapted and refined my perspective on the world. Going forward, the people I consider friends are defined by...what? Shared history? Similar worldviews? A sense of loyalty. A feeling that I could call on them in an emergency. The pleasure I feel for them when something good happens adn the heart-squeezing when  they or one of their children is sick or hospitalized.

The result is that at 50 I have far less friends than I did at 40 but considerably more acquaintances.

Unfortunately, I still feel responsible for people who call me friend. Reciprocol or not, I guess I'll just have to suck it.

Marisha's birthday weekend & Nordic Fest at the Scenic Caves in Blue Mountain.
Marissa, editor of Get Out There magazine, took this pic of (L-R): Scott, me, Marisha, Eve, Liz, Wai Ting (Jonathon's friend from Taiwan) & Fred.
We stayed at Nancy M's biatch-pad and went snow shoeing & x-country skiing at the Scenic caves.
Karen & Chanda arrived shortly after this photo was taken. I headed back to the house and the girls did a x-country loop.

The night before, Marisha, Nancy and I had dinner and drinks in Blue Mountain. I had a cold and bailed early on the night.

Spare me the analyses and comparisons. Are we going to relegate ourselves to playing never-good-enough, little brother to our square-jawed, over-achieving, all-star, older sibling forever?? My opinion: the Olympic opening ceremonies were as Canadian as it gets.

Gretsky's long truck ride in the rain to light the outside cauldron? It may have made for bad tv but for the fans who ran alongside the truck cheering and waving, it was an unprecedented opportunity to be part of an Olympic Games opening ceremony (not to mention brush with greatness!!)

Anyway, here's one of the guys I can't wait to watch. Yeah, he makes something like 7.5 mil a year but he clearly isn't some overpaid, mtv prima donna. Here's his winning performance from the X Games last month. Look at the way he comes back from an unintentional spinal realignment...

It always happens...the more I have to write about, the less I write. Lots has been on my mind though and I wish I had the time to blog it; Eve's treatments, current affairs (Olympics, George Bush's "Miss me yet?" billboard. Sarah Palin writes speech crib notes on her hand, the urrbandictionary defines that aid as a Redneck Teleprompter), what to do this summer, what to do in March (anyone know of a good rental in Florida, Gulf side? Fred gave me a contact but the guy hasn't gotten back to me) and so on. I definitely need to replace those clocks up top (must have been copyright issues but the Vancouver one will be down to zero in a couple of days)

Right now I'm feeling dehydrated and tired. Have to get up at 5am so I'm shutting it down.