Victoria's Island

Spring is Here

Ah, spring. One of my favorite seasons. There is nothing quite like the scents and sounds of spring. The air smells a bit more fresh, some eager flowers are starting to poke through the ground, the neighbourhood rabbits return just in time for some Easter bunny sightings. But I think my most favorite thing about spring is the noise. The air is noisier. Kids are outside playing. Setting up road hockey games. Racing around the street on their bikes. Driveways are covered in sidewalk chalk. The action is hot at the nearby skateboard park. Wobbly rollerbladers are out on the bicycle path. Laughter and the sound of play are everywhere. Can't really beat that.

Today was one such day. Warm. Bright blue sky. Barely a whisper from the wind. People were excited perhaps overjoyed with this warm spring day. I saw shirtless skateboarders, young teenage girls wearing the latest in the short shorts, kids racing around with just t-shirts and baggy shorts, I even saw some cyclists pedaling away with bare arms and legs.

Seeing this just forces me into a big grin. There is something about seeing others out enjoying the fresh air and soaking up life that makes me feel good. Even Murphy was more lively today. He raced around the house until I finally relented and we sat outside on the back step. He patrolled the backyard gobbling up the grass and keeping a keen eye out for intruders.

Ah, spring is here. So long winter. Time to get outside and enjoy this fine weather. The to do lists and indoor projects can wait for a bit (we're sure to have a rainy day...). Get out and get some sun, fresh air, and noise into your heart and lungs.

Busy Tuesday

What a day! A most excellent day! I got lots ticked off my to do list and made progress on some other items. To top it off, I had an excellent at-home core yoga work-out and three hour ride out in the sun. Pretty sweet for a Tuesday.

Really, the day just flew by. I've got myself a new routine that involves getting up at 6 every morning. I like early mornings and I find I'm pretty productive at this time of the day. I ease into the day with some breakfast, tea, and CBC radio. Then it is time to get writing. I'm working on a "secret project" and I've found it helps to devote two hours to it each morning. This way I can be guaranteed to get the writing in each day. I had tried to work on this project whenever I felt like it, but I was constantly being distracted by other things. This strategy is working really well. The extra bonus is that by 9, I've already got a lot accomplished and can take some time for a bit of a break before continuing with the writing project or moving on to other things.

It might seem strange that since I'm not going into an office and I'm not working at a full-time job, that my days are busy. But this is the way it is. My days are full. A few people have asked me what I do all day. Well, I train, I do yoga, I work on my "secret project", I do other writing, I apply for writing jobs, I do stuff around the house, and I eat. That is pretty much my day. Very good days.

Looking forward to Easter this year. It will be the first time since 1990 that I've spent Easter with my parents. I'm really looking forward to it. So nice to have them close by. Sounds like the new place is slowly coming together. I'll be staying with them for a week. Rumor has it we'll be making a trip to Toronto to see wee little Henry and his proud parents. Can't hardly wait. (I've got some really noisy toys for Henry!)

If you are a Greek yogurt fan and live in Ottawa, you are now a very happy Greek yogurt fan. This delicious, thick, creamy, and non-fat yogurt is now available. The Liberte Greek yogurt  is available at Sobey's, Rainbow Foods, Herb and Spice, Wellington Bagel Shop, and maybe elsewhere that I haven't seen yet. Anyway, definitely pick up this tasty yogurt. There is nothing quite like Greek yogurt. So thick and creamy and at 0% fat it is a great healthy source of protein. I really like to stir in chocolate protein powder, frozen raspberries, and some ground flax meal. A tasty dessert or second breakfast. Also good with peanut butter, sliced banana, chocolate protein powder and ground flax meal.

I'm reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. So far so good. I've heard so much about this book that I'm impressed that it is living up to expectations. I see that Ian McEwan has a new novel out. Looking forward to getting this on my eBook reader.

Happy Tuesday!

Don't Have a Title

Can't think of a title for this post, so feel free to create your own. Suppose the reason I can't think of a title is because I don't have a central theme for this post. Not sure where it will go. It could be boring or it could get all deep and crazy. Guess we'll find out together!

So good weekend was had. Two excellent days of cycling, hanging out, food, and friends. We had one of our favorite meals - chicken cordon blue and the new-to-us roasted vegetables. A definite hit. Such an easy meal as well. We watched Precious on Friday night. A very good film. Tough at times but very very good. By far one of the top movies I've seen this year.

Not the friendliest cycling weather this weekend, but I made the best of it. Bundled up and hit the open road. Saturday I was perhaps a bit under-dressed but I sucked it up and kept on pedaling. Got in some intervals and enjoyed the cruise home with a strong tailwind. We hooked up with our cycling pals for a night of UFC action. Gotta love GSP, this guy is a true athlete and just seems like a genuine guy. Impressive fight. Fun time with friends. Love those yogurt raisins! Sunday we hooked up with The Cyclery dudes for group ride. Another great ride, I got to catch-up with a bunch of people I hadn't seen in a long time and I also had some pain inserted into my legs. Just what I wanted. Pretty chill rest of the day. Long hot bath. Earl grey tea. Lebanese for supper. A good weekend.

Marc bought a super gift on Saturday. A Bodum French Press. I love it. Such a different coffee taste from the Bialetti. We were in Grace in the Kitchen on Saturday and I spied a smooth black and red Bodum. Thanks Marc! Now I'm on the hunt for some tasty decaf coffee. All suggestions are welcome.

Great day today. Hooked up with an old pal from the Adobe days for lunch and a catch-up. We had a pleasant lunch at the Wellington Bagel Shop and poked around the store a bit. I ate herring for the first time. Mmm, I like it.

Alright, this is short. But I have to jet. Gotta get out to Kanata to pick up Marc and then I'm off to yoga. Later. (I promise a better post tomorrow!)

Good

Good pretty sums up this day so far. I've been uber-productive. Got some writing done on my personal writing project. Sent out a flurry of emails to cyclists about their races this weekend. Plowed through most of my updates in my RSS reader. Sent my resume and writing samples out to a bunch of strangers. Had a good talk with my coach. Murphy kept me company through it all - he is my shadow.

Tried out a new recipe today for lunch. Discovered it on Averie's blog: Sweet 'n Nutty Un-Chicky Salad. This was pretty darn tasty. I changed it a bit to fit what I had in the fridge. I spread some of it on an ezekiel tortilla with some tahini and a bit of cheese. Very filling and good for you. Amazing how much easier it is to chop up the almonds when they've been soaking in water overnight.

Tonight we're going with one of our new favorites: chicken cordon bleu. I found this recipe in Clean Eating magazine. One of the easiest and tastiest recipes ever. For the vegetable component, I'm going to go crazy and roast some vegetables. You laugh, but I've never dabbled in the roasted vegetable department.

I finished reading Year of the Flood. Loved it. A great read. Pure genius. Now I'm reading Three Cups of Tea. I'm only in the first chapter but already I can tell this will be a good one. So many books, so little time.

I came across a blog post today: bored people are boring. This blog post title has been in my brain all day. I am never bored. Can't really imagine it. I always have lots to do. Sure not all of it is exciting or glamorous - but I'm always busy. Not sure what it must be like to be bored. Suppose life really is passing by when you're bored.

Speaking of being busy and not being bored. I've got to jet. Sorry for the short post today. I've still got some stuff I want to finish and then I'll chill out with my latest ebook. Have a solid Friday. Tomorrow will be a good one as well - I can already feel it.

Online Again

Wow, what a crazy five days it has been. I've done a lot. Seen a lot. Learned a lot. Pedaled a lot. Smiled and laughed a lot. And it is so good to be home.

I'm not really sure where to start. I guess you've figured out that I didn't have any Internet access while in Orlando... Funny, I didn't even miss it. Nope. I was way to busy. This was my first time in Florida so my eyes were as big as pancakes trying to take it all in. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World. This was interesting. Very interesting.

Definitely a change from anything I've ever experienced. Well, essentially this is Florida - like nothing I've ever really experienced. The trip was full of really good days and experiences. Checked out this large outlet mall. Liked that - Adidas, Oakley, Nike, Starbucks, etc. Hung out and watched the fireworks at Epcott. Relaxed by the pool soaking in the warm sun. Some great rides around Walt Disney World where I checked out the park and various resorts. Lots of pedaling in place at the DRJ trade show for KingsBridge. Met lots of interesting people. Best ice cream ever at Stone Cold. A good five days.

But I'm happy to be back home. I'm looking forward to enjoying the slower paced and more "normal" life here in Ottawa. Everything in Florida is over the top. The travel day yesterday was long since our first flight was delayed so we missed our connection in Washington. Apart from that the, travel was painless.

So, I have a confession to make. I believe that last week I said I'd bring my camera and take photos for you.... Uh, yeah, about that. I kinda sorta didn't take any photos... Sorry.

Alright, I've got a bizillion emails to go through, 800 updates in my RSS reader to read, laundry to do, a bike to build, writing to catch up on, yoga to do, and a recovery ride to do. Another full day. Looking forward to it. So good to be home.

Jumping on a Plane

I'm jumping on a plane tomorrow bright and early. Off to sunny Orlando for five days. Chilling out at the Walt Disney World Resort. Should be an interesting time. I don't plan on going on any rides or whatever it is you do at Walt Disney World. Not really my thing.

In true form, I'm taking my bike - I'll be getting some awesome long rides and then helping out my cycling sponsor KingsBridge Disaster Recovery at the DRJ tradeshow. Should be an interesting time. My first time visiting Florida. My first time attending a tradeshow.

Looking forward to the warm weather (25 celsius) and riding in a new place. It is always interesting to visit a new place and discover/meet new people. Maybe I'll even see Mickey Mouse!

Had a pretty smooth day today. Busy with packing and general house stuff really today. Marc and I went out for a training ride together today. This never happens! Mainly because Marc is much stronger than I am so it means I'm either drafting off of him or if we ride side-by-side - I'm working too hard or Marc is not working hard enough. But today Marc had to do a recovery ride.... We battled a pretty fierce headwind on our way out to Malakoff Road. But it was worth it for the smooth tailwind on the way home. On the agenda for me today was sprint intervals - extra bonus to have Marc there to give me some pointers. An excellent day on the bike.

Pretty chilled out evening. One lowlight - some kid threw what we think is an egg at our car... And hit us. Well, $15 later (cost of a car wash when you don't buy gas), and the substance came off the car door. Of course there are some fresh scratches on the door now... Not impressed.

Well, I'm off to bed. Have to be at the airport for 5 a.m. Ah well, good part of this is that I'll be in Florida by 10:30. I'm not sure what the Internet connection will be like so this site may be silent for a few days.

This Is Important

Most of you know that I have ulcerative colitis.

This disease is commonly referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The other disease in this category is Crohn's disease.

Both of these diseases are unpleasant. The symptoms of these diseases are unpleasant and often people are shy to talk about ulcerative colitis or crohn's.

But we need to talk about these diseases. We need to raise their profile. It is a little known fact that more people in Canada suffer from crohn's or ulcerative colitis than suffer from multiple sclerosis.

At present there are no cures for crohn's and ulcerative colitis. The other problem is that doctors, researchers, and scientists do not know how or why people are afflicted with these diseases.

We need to solve these questions. More and more young children are being diagnosed with these life-long diseases. No child should have to experience such diseases. I can't imagine being a child and having to live with ulcerative colitis.

So what can you do? Click this link: I Support IBD. All you have to do is click the link and sign the declaration. (Yes, this can be done online.) Help us get to 10, 000 signatures by World IBD Day on May 19, 2010.

What else can you do? Help me raise money for the Heel N' Wheel-A-Thon. I'll be participating in this event on June 13 in Ottawa, Ontario. This is a national fundraiser for the Canadian Crohn's and Colitis Foundation - I'm sure there is an event happening in your community as well. Even better, get out there and participate. Check out this web site for details.

Really, it is hard for me to tell you how important this is. All I know is that crohn's and ulcerative colitis are rotten diseases and the sooner we get to a cure, the better. I and all the other Canadians out there suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, thank-you for your support.

Spring?

Well seems like spring is here. I know, I'm probably jinxing us all by coming out and saying it out loud. Whatever. It feels like spring. It looks like spring. It smells like spring. It is spring. This week is also March break around these parts. This means that the little kiddos are everywhere. Awesome to see them outside playing and hearing the laughter. One of my favorites is listening to their "made-up" games. The imagination and creativity is overwhelming. Wonder where this goes as we get older and become adults?

I have to say I'm less than impressed with the television coverage of the Paralympic games. It is pathetic actually. I don't consider there to be actual coverage of the Paralympics... CTV and the Globe and Mail did an excellent job covering the Olympics - guess they blew their budgets and decided to pass on the Paralympics. I managed to catch some of the slalom skiing last night - mega-impressed. I have to say the commentator was extremely lackluster. Great to see Brian McKeever win the gold medal the other day. Rumor has it he is skiing again today - good luck finding it on the television... Go Canada Go!

Had a great day of riding yesterday. The sun was brilliant and the wind was relatively calm. It was a nice change to be out there with my leg warmers on. Decided to rock out the red leg warmers. They match my Team Canada kit perfectly.

I worked on my project yesterday. Not easy. But I'm enjoying it. A little bit everyday is the way to do it. On the agenda today is some writing for Canadian Cycling Magazine and research on the freelance writing markets. I need to get my name out and find more freelance writing work. I know I can do it - just need to take the leap and start contacting magazines. So this is the mission for today.

I've been experimenting with veggie smoothies. Typically I've only had fruit, milk, and protein powder smoothies. But my pal Sheri convinced me to give the veggie smoothies a try. First one I had was carrots, banana, cinnamon, milk, and peanut butter. Delicious. Not too carroty or too banana-y. The cinnamon gave it the perfect spice. Yesterday I had spinach, pineapple, frozen banana, peanut butter and water. Very tasty as well. First time using water in a smoothie - my research told me that milk would not work so well with the spinach. Tasted pretty darn good. Not sure what kind I'll have today. I'm thinking spinach, pineapple, orange, cinnamon and water. What about you - do you eat/drink veggie smoothies? Any faves?

I'm still reading The Year of the Flood. Loving it. I'm close to being done. The story is riveting. As usual Atwood makes you really think about what you accept as normal and required. After this novel, I'm not sure what I'll read. I do have Three Cups of Tea loaded on my ebook reader - think this will be the next one.

Off to Florida this weekend. Looking forward to it. I'll get to ride outside in the sun. Stay at the Walt Disney World Resort. Help out my sponsor Kingsbridge at the trade show. Maybe check out the the Oakley factory outlet. Really just chill out and experience a new destination. I've heard that the Internet access is limited at the hotel so the blog posts might be sparse from Saturday to Wednesday. I'll be sure to take my camera though, so when I get back, you'll be able to see it all.

I have to say that I'm a big fan of our city's composting program. I didn't realize how much the composting could cut down on our garbage. So easy to do as well. I'm surprised that there are people who are not using their green bins. Between composting and recycling, our garbage output has been severely reduced.

So my parents made it out to Ontario a-okay. They are now busy doing lots of work to their new house. Ripping up flooring. Laying new floors. Painting. All the new home owner stuff. Looking forward to getting myself to Lakefield to see their new digs and to hang out for a bit. Haven't seen them since October - seems like forever. Henry, the perfect nephew is doing really well. Looking forward to meeting this little guy as well. It is very reassuring to know that my family is doing well. As I type, Marc is down in the basement putting together his new bike. Yes, early in the morning and he is down there - do you think he is excited? In fact he has two new bikes to assemble. Lucky guy - he deserves it.

Alright, I'm out. Time to get myself ready for yoga. Yin yoga today. Deep stretching for an hour. Then it is off to work - I've got a two hour training ride to do. It is going to be a good one today.

Catching Up

I didn't post for three days.... Good reason for this. I had three busy days. Three pretty good days. Lots of fun stuff and some downtime from the computer. Sometimes I find that I'm simply clicking around the WWW mindlessly, not really reading anything or learning anything... (Gee kind of reminds me of channel surfing on the television...) So, I try to spend less time on the computer on the weekends. Taking time to read, nap, chill out with friends, and take long baths.

I'll spare you a blow-by-blow replay of the weekend. Partly because my memory doesn't seem to be what it was in my younger days and because I don't want to bore you. So here are the highlights - excellent lunch and catch-up with one of my longest friends (the man solely responsible for getting me into bike racing - thanks Ian - forever grateful). It felt like we could have sat there and talked about all things cycling, news, journalism, and our lives in general all afternoon. It was super awesome to eat at one of my fave lunch spots, I hadn't been to the Wild Oat in forever - I went with the tried and true deluxe pizza - the one and only time I will eat vegan cheese... We capped off Friday night with a great dinner and coffee chat with our pals Fev and Sheri. We checked out So Good on Somerset - a decent Asian restaurant. Could eat the dumplings each and everyday!

Saturday involved the usual suspects - hot power yoga and riding. This time I had company on my long ride, as Skip and I braved the ridiculous winds for three hours. A great ride, but darn windy (and a little wet). Saturday night featured a much over due dinner at Marc's sister's place - what a great night. It was super relaxing and the laughs were pretty much continuous. Thanks for the great night! Sunday was pretty chilled out. The rain was wicked so I opted to not ride. Yes, call me soft, but I don't need to ride in the driving rain or ride the trainer - just took it as a rest day. Finally dug into my much anticipated copy of McSweeney's Panorama.

I love this publication. McSweeney's is known for publishing lots of thought-provoking stuff, but Panorama tops it all. If you are a newspaper lover, a reader, or just plain curious, get yourself down to your closest big bookstore and pick up a copy. Yes, it costs $20 - but it is 100 per cent worth it.

Monday has been pretty darn good. One of the best things about Mondays is my morning hot power yoga class. This is an awesome class. The instructor is very vibrant and she loves to challenge us. Hit the road afterwards for a sunny but rather windy ride. I didn't realize how strong the wind was blowing - but such is life.  As for the rest of the day - I've got some writing projects to finalize today and then some more reading/research about freelance writing. Making progress.

As you know, I like to try new recipes... This morning I came across a recipe for a smoothie that involved carrots, banana, milk, cinnamon, and peanut butter. Yes, I made it. It is so good. So very good. Here is the recipe - try it - you'll love it. It doesn't taste like carrot juice. It doesn't taste too bananay. It is just super tasty.  I cheated a bit and instead of using whole carrots, I had some of those packaged carrot sticks to use up so I tossed those in. I also used one frozen banana and one non-frozen banana. And I did not include the stevia, nutmeg, or cardamon. Ya, so I guess I modified the recipe a bit.... Anyway, I loved it. Can't wait to eat it again tomorrow!

Okay, I've got to go. Few more things to tick off the "list". Have a good one. Enjoy the extra hour of daylight!

So Far So Good

It is just before 9 a.m. and already I've had a pretty good Thursday. Yes, productivity is my friend. The more productive I am, the bigger my smile. Call me crazy, but I'm motivated by progress. Suppose it is my upbringing - there was no "tomorrow" or "later" rather it was "do it now". Based on my parents' success, I'd have to say this is a good motto to follow. So I'm on the "do it now" horse. Get things done. Move on to the next. Then I can relax with a quiet brain. Yes, it really all comes back to my crazy brain. I simply cannot relax with a book when I've got things on my lists left undone. I know, I know, this is not the best. But it is how I'm wired. At least I've learned not to put 10 things on my list. Nope it is limited to 3 or 4 things. Doable things.

All this to say, that this Thursday is looking good. I've already made a batch of protein bars. I based them on this recipe at Never Homemaker. Of course I change the recipe to meet my tastebuds - no chocolate or agave for me - I used a banana for sweetness and glue and instead of walnuts I used almonds. Then instead of shaping into balls, I shaped mine into bars. I've now got 12 protein and carbohydrate packed peanut butter/banana/almond/sesame seed/oat bars wrapped individually in saran wrap tucked into my freezer. Looking forward to cracking one out on my ride tomorrow. I'll let you know how they taste! Can't really go wrong with peanut butter and banana...

The one frustrating component to my morning has been my research about Google Adsense. Yes, I've decided to post advertisements on this web site. This is something I've thought about for a while. After researching Google Adsense, I've learned that these advertisements don't need to be obtrusive and can be applicable to my themes/topics. Great - if someone clicks on an advertisement, I make some money. The only problem is that there is a bug in the Google Adsense account set-up software... So I can't log in and get my account set up. Very frustrating. After reading the help forums, it turns out that this is a known problem. I hope a fix comes soon... Google - are you listening?

It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day out there. Unfortunately, today is my rest day. So no riding for me. Darn. It is tempting to go for a ride. But a plan is a plan. The plan has got me a long way so no point in messing with it now. Perhaps I'll walk on over to the big bookstore - get my dose of vitamin d and work on my tan!

Today I'm focusing on my own personal writing. Yep, the whole day is set aside to allow me to focus my energies on a new writing project I'm fleshing out and to learn more about how to be a successful freelance writer. I've got a new book loaded on my Sony eBook Reader called How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer and I've found some new web sites to check out. Looks like it is going to be a solidly productive day.

Had a great day yesterday. Kicked off the day with a relaxing and soothing yin yoga class. If you haven't tried yin yoga, I highly recommend it. Nothing like holding the stretches for 3 to 5 minutes - your body really benefits from these long stretches. And don't worry - yin yoga doesn't involve standing - nope - you're either sitting, on your back or stomach, or like we were yesterday - using the wall. Got in a great ride as well. Minor bonk towards the end. Seems to be typical for me at this time of the year.... Closed off the night with dinner out - we hit up one of our faves - Shwarma Palace (reminds us of Sultan's in Herselt...) and then a visit to the big bookstore. Marc bought me a wonderful gift last night - McSweeney's Panorama. I have been coveting this fantastic package of writing all winter. I haven't cracked it open yet. (You know the whole list to do list thing.) If you're a reader - definitely check this bad boy out - you won't regret it and besides you'll be supporting a "smaller" publisher - can't go wrong there. To round out the evening, I put my cooking fingers to work and made Marc a little treat - homemade chocolate peanut butter cups. I followed this recipe on Averie's web site. I didn't use the nutritional yeast and used only 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Marc gave them the thumbs up - next time I'll use a little less chocolate - half a square instead.

Alright, I best be off. Lots of reading and learning to do. Not to mention writing. Tonight I'm off to see the new U2 movie at the Imax with a good friend. Looking forward to it - seems like forever since I've been to the Imax. Have a good one!