Victoria's Island

From Lion to Lamb?

Well, March sure hit us with a lot of force. We had snow, wind and cold but now after only two days of spring-like weather the bad feelings and memories are long behind us. It is interesting to note how 10 celsisus in the fall is considered cold but in March it means people are breaking out the flip-flops and shorts...

Anyway as I sit here it is 11 celsius and raining at 9:o0 a.m. No complaints here. Bring on the rain - I want the snow to melt. And more importantly I want the roads washed clean of the salt, dirt and grime that is unfriendly to my trusty two-wheeler.

Well, other than this rather brief consideration of the weather, I really don't have too much to add. But I'll take a stab at letting you know what is new, improved and better tasting.

I reacently finished reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. A fascinating read, it really made me consider the latest President's Choice Blue Menu promotion in different light. Funny how this little "magazine" is chock full of foods packed with Omega-3 fortified foods - all in efforts to get us healthier. Remember the oat bran push in the 80s - well are we supposed to ditch oat bran in favour of Omega-3 now? What about fiber - are we still supposed to aim for extra fiber in our diets? Interesting how the nutritional push changes with the seasons isn't it. Have you ever considered who and what drives the push for oat bran, Omega-3, fiber and low-fat foods? Why don't we ever see promotional flyers from grocery store chains that highlight the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and other unprocessed foods. Chances are in a few years we'll see six grapefruits in a bag with a label that reads: New Improved Taste! Super Low-Fat. Convenient Easy-To-Peel Packaging". I should note that one item in the Omega-3 President's Choice flyer did catch my attention - peanut butter with extra Omega-3. I decided to look into this (Omega-3 is proven to help people with IBD) - well to my dismay this "new, healthy peanut butter that is perfect for kids" is full of sugar and oil - I thought it would be natural peanut butter with some added flax oil... 

Anyway, some food for thought...

I am now reading We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I know that a movie based on this book will be released soon - but truth be told this is not why I'm reading it. This book has been on my "to read" list for some time and now is the time to read it.

Thanks to spending lots of quality time on my bike in the basement on the trainer, I've been watching a lot of movies on Netflix. Here are my recent highlights: Soul Kitchen, Wendy & Lucy, Monster, My Life Without Me, Conviction, Great New Wonderful, and Monster's Ball. Yes, an ecclectic mix of movies and many of them a bit "old" but all were worth watching and entertaining. 

So far the highlight of the week was my lunchtime chat with wee little Henry and his super proud dad. We had a great chat about flying kites, playing hockey  and a strong desire to watch Thomas the Tank Engine. At the end of the day, Murphy stole the show and managed to put the biggest smile on Henry's face. I think my favorite moment was when Henry kissed the computer screen and then gave it a big hug and then signing off with "See You Soon".

Happy International Women's Day

Three Generations

I love this photo.

Still Angry

I’m angry and I really don’t know what to do about it. Earlier this week we learned that Steven Cozza of Team NetApp was forced to end his cycling career. Steven Cozza has ulcerative colitis and has been trying to live the life of a professional athlete with this disease. From what I can understand from the article and his Tweets, Steven has been dealing with a rotten ulcerative colitis flare for a long time.

I feel for Steven. I’ve never met Steven but I can empathize and understand what he is going through. It is damn frustrating and very disheartening to read of someone who has to put their life on hold for this damn disease. I don’t know why but this news has hit me hard – I suppose it is because people like Steven who had “done it” and were “doing it” are a big example to me and remind me that even with a bad gut and angry colon – a full life can be enjoyed.

I really hope that Steven can get on top of his ulcerative colitis and get back to normal life. Sometimes life is so damn unfair. All the best Steven – I’m rooting for you and sending you some powerful healing thoughts.

I have a feeling this anger will be channeled into my pedals today. Too bad Steven can’t do the same.

 

Missing Out?

As you may know, Marc and I do not have "television". We do have a television but if I push the power button, nothing will happen. I won't see a list of 200 channels begging me to sit down and watch them. Nope, nothing really will happen when the power button is pressed.

We used to have all the television channels a person could want. But now we don't. Instead we watch shows online or via subscription services. This works for us - we watch what we're interested in.

But a strange side effect of this type of television viewing is a disconnectedness with popular culture, news, scandal, and other entertainment stuff. We find that we really don't know anything about the latest scandals/news regarding entertainment stars. We typically aren't aware of the newest movies coming out. We really are out of touch with the new televison shows. We are not subject to advertising.

Yes, we still have access to this "stuff" but because we choose what we want to watch and rely on the Internet and radio for staying up-to-date it is easy to ignore the noise and focus on only what we are interested in. I was initially worried that we'd miss out with not being able to sit down and turn on the television, but now it just seems completely normal. When we do find ourselves in a hotel room we both get a good television fix - typically we end up turning off the television because there is "nothing on". 

We get our news from CBC Radio and online news sites.

We get our entertainment from books (read on our ereaders) and the Internet. 

We still watch movies but rely on our friends to keep us up-to-date with the latest films out there.

We still watch bike racing but do so with the online live feeds.

I still watch Grey's Anatomy but do so online.

Are we missing out by not having television? I don't think so. I don't need to know about the latest episode of Big Brother or care to know about some short-lived celebrity wedding. I seek out what I want to know about instead. In fact, I think without television there is a lot less "noise" in my life - giving me/us a chance to focus on what really makes us happy and smiling.

(No, we didn't watch the Academy Awards last night. We watched the TinTin movie instead - it was very good. Though I did fall asleep and missed the last 45 minutes of it...)

Randomness

Well, we are almost through February... This is a good thing. There is something about this second month of the year that can be a challenge. The highs of the holidays are over, the weather can be not so nice, and it seems like summer is a long way off - all this has a way of culminating in a tough month.

So with this in mind, I thought I'd share some of the nifty things I've read, bookmarked, or pondered - all thanks to the Internet of course:

Pinterest - I'm on Pinterest. This virtual pinboard site is really cool. If you're into something (i.e. hobby), you can use Pinterest to track these hobby-related things/ideas/thoughts/etc. Anyway, I'm up there, check me out and start following me.

Fast Company - this is an excellent magazine and the website is top-notch as well. Not just for tech-heads this magazine has the pulse on innovation, business, technology, and people.

Do Lectures - you've heard of Ted Talks - well time to check out this ground-breaking series of lectures. They're free. They're practical. They're useful. They're inspiring. 

Magical Loaf Studio - do you have a hankering to make a vegetarian or vegan "meat" loaf but don't know where to start? Use this super smart website to create a recipe that will work. 

Longreads - take a few minutes and really read an article online. Don't scan and don't skim. Read this very real writing and journalism that you've likely missed.

So there you have it, some interesting "stuff" for you to check out. 

On another note, Lent is starting tomorrow. Now I'm not a religious person per se but Lent does give me the opportunity to make a change. So I've decided to give up all pop/soda/soft drinks as well as drinks with soy in them (in other words break the Starbucks addiction) for the duration of Lent. I don't drink a lot of pop but aspartame and high fructose corn syrup simply aren't good for anyone. As for the soy-based drinks - I seem to have an affinity for over-priced drinks at coffee shops - giving up soy is a great way to break this and keep some dollars in my pocket. Tea and black coffee it is!

So there you have it some guaranteed randomness. Fingers crossed that this warm weather keeps up - if so I'll be out on my bike outside this weekend! 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't scrunch up your nose - it is Valentine's Day! This day could be considered a Hallmark holiday - but I don't really care. You don't need to buy roses, a diamond ring, chocolates or bake a very tasty German chocolate cake (my favourite). What you need to do is to be thankful.

Be thankful that you're blessed with wonderful people in your life. Valentine's Day isn't just for couples. It is for people. Since you're reading this blog, you're fortunate - you have leisure time, an Internet connection, a computer, etc. Yes you have problems but these are first world problems...

Regardless of how you feel about Valentine's Day and its saacharine message - do something nice for someone today. Hold the door open for a stranger. Let the motorist into the lane. Stop for a pedestrian to cross the street. Help someone with their groceries. These might sound simple but I believe it is the small acts that can go a long way in making a person's day better. Heck, just smile at someone - this is huge.

Sitting here at my desk, I spend a lot of time glancing and pondering these two framed photos (thanks Dad for framing these):

These two photos are of Lennon's Wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Lennon's Wall has since the 1980s been a place where graffiti artists and others, post John Lennon lyrics. I've visited Lennon's Wall twice and I find it to be a truly inspirational experience. On my last trip to Prague, I bought these two photos while walking along the Charles Bridge and I really think they make an important statement in this frame.

They kind of do speak to the essence of Valentine's Day....

Fantastic News!!!

Today is a very good day! This morning I had an appointment with my sports medicine doctor and I received some excellent news about my fractured L3...

Well, it has healed - two weeks ahead of schedule. After some tests and movement analysis, my doctor has given me the all-clear. So this means I can get back to yoga and really go full-steam ahead with training for the upcoming spring and early summer racing season.

Even better news is that my bone density scan revealed very positive results regarding my bone strength. There was some concern that I might have osteoporosis - but the bone density scan has revealed that my bones are actually stronger than average.

All of this news gives much some extreme confidence in my body and overall health. There will be no lingering thoughts in my head when I start the cyclo-cross season in September that my back is not ready for the impacts of cyclo-cross racing.

A good day indeed! 2012 is looking better and better each week. 

Now Is A Good Time

Now is the perfect time to take a break and watch this video. You won't regret it. A good 16 minutes spent. After you watch it - I want to know what you're going to do next:

 

Recharged

This weekend was just what I needed. A weekend without any "to dos" or "have tos". Instead I hung out with my parents. We literally went here, there and everywhere. It was a very relaxing time.

Lots of good conversation. Some good laughs. And plenty of time to just relax. I last saw my dad in November at Canadian Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Toronto and I think I last saw my mom at the cyclo-cross races in Burlington, Vermont in September. So a good visit was definitely due.

It was simply a good time. 

 

What's New?

It has been a while. No reason really. I'm spending lots of time in front of the keyboard these days and sometimes at the end of the day, I'm done with writing and thinking. I  write about so many different things over the course of a given day that there are times when I just am at a loss for what to write about here.

Don't take this as a lack of interest in this spot. Nope, rather I don't want to post drivel that really isn't worth your reading - so sometimes silence is the obvious choice.

As for now? Well, truely there isn't much to say. I was knitting intermittently but it seems that I can't stick to my recent project. I was chatting about knitting with a barrista at Bridgehead last week and she suggested I ditch the scarf and move onto a sweater. She highlighted that at their core - scarves are boring to knit. This is true. While the risk is very low so can be the reward. So maybe Marc will be a lucky guy and their is a handknitted sweater in his future?

On the reading front... well, I'm not actually reading anything right now. I know blasphemy! Truth is I picked up the lastest issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism and I've been spending my reading time on this weighty magazine. True fact: the Ryerson Review of Journalism magazine is my favorite magazine. I literally read every word of it (sometimes twice). It is smart, it is challenging, it is Canadian, it is always different. It is refreshing to read a magazine that doesn't recycle its article ideas or simply write "follow-up" pieces. Anyway, I suggest you check it out. You never know what you'll learn.

On Monday night I did something I've wanted to do for a long time. I watched the highlights from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. This is a 150 minute long night of entertainment that gets you cheering, sighing, clasping your hands, and in the end smiling and scheming. Essentially this is a compilation of some of the best movies shown at the Banff Mountain Film Festival - and it is taken on tour through-out the world, I wasn't sure what to expect but I left feeling like I'd met some really interesting folks. Maybe Sketchy Andy is a bit out there for me (slacklining and base jumping aren't on my bucket list) but watching Tim Cope ride the trail of Ghengis Khan was something else. And to keep it all in perspective the night ended with a film about Josh Dueck who really left me with a feeling for needing to do more and get more from this life of mine. If the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour comes to your town or city - definitely go - you won't regret it.

So there you have it - some tidbits of what's been happening and could be considered as new. My parents are coming to the big city this weekend. Should be good. 

(Oh and if you've come up with a cure for the common cold - please feel free to post it up in the comments section. This stuffed up nose, sore throat and ear ache combination is getting a bit old...)