Have an awesome weekend!

Summer!!! I’m setting off for quick vacay up at the cabin. Yaaaay! I’ll swimming, riding and running. :-)
Oh and I’d like to add a massive THANK YOU to @WWU10KRUNNER and @playingforkeepz for their patience and help with hill work yesterday.
As my department's intern would say, “Peace out, home slice!”

Oh great!

I just agreed to do TWO sets of this. Damn you @WWU10KRUNNER!


Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

OK, so where are my abs of steel? Where are they? I can't see them! ಠ_ಠ

Beautiful day for a run!

"Beautiful day for a run!" is what a guy said to me when I ran passed him. I didn't have time to respond but he was right!

I was doing an easy 6 miles as schedule by @WWU10KRUNNER (he's an awesome guy and he's helping me with my training!)

Anyway, let me tell you why it was so awesome.

First, I was still super happy and giddy about my intro diving lesson at the Diving Locker the night before. I loved it! Bucket list item #8. I loved it and I'm looking forward to learning more - but not till after my first marathon (bucket list item #3) is done and I have a bit more time. I'd also like to add that our instructor Annie was pretty awesome. :-)

Second, on the way home I heard, "Thump thump thump thump thump!" I walked towards what I thought might be the sound of a big drum. I walked right into a little parade and outdoor street concert put on by the Ottoman Jannissary Military Band. Yah! Right on Granville at Robson! Right there! An Ottoman Military Band! I found out from a Turkish man on the street that the band who actually consists of around 40 members of which only seven are here touring Canada. They were just in Edmonton and stopped in Vancouver before heading over to Victoria. According the Turkish man they were invited by the city to share their music.

I love music! I hung around watching and listening for about 30 minutes. Then rushed home to get ready for my run. Which leads to my awesome day item #3. I set off for my usual 10k route along the seawall from Yaletown. Weather was warm, a bit humid and a bit hazy from the over 400 wild fires burning in B.C. at the moment. So everything looked soft and a bit yellow-orangey coloured. Running along the seawall passing restaurants, clinking sounds of forks on plates and dinner chat (their dinners smelled so good!). I was just starting to get into my run when I heard the sound of a saxophone. A dread-locked man was playing his saxophone underneath the Burrard Bridge. Aaaah! More music for my ears! I slowed down a bit in order to enjoy his music longer.

Now for #4. After passing the Burrard Bridge there was African drumming. Big, deep, echo-y drumming sounds. "Tam tam tam-tam!" I could have stopped and done the African walk with them. But onward with my run!

And finally #5, Running into the very orange sunset at about the 4 mile mark I had to stop and listen. I had to stop and listen to a woman singing a Russian song accompanied by a man playing the accordian. Sweet! I stood there with a big smile on my sweaty face. I clapped and thanked them for the performance when they were done. I wish I had at least my iPhone to take pictures!!

Oh! I also did stand-up paddle surfing on Monday. I saw people doing this on my trips to Maui and said to myself that I'd try it the next time I'm down there and never did. So, I did it on Monday morning. My friend and I biked out to Jericho and took a 1-hour lesson with Windsure. It was SO EASY!

A few great things happened on my paddle surfing trip. A seal popped his head out of the water and greeted me as I pushed my board out. Then a fish jumped over the tip of my board! I didn't fall and I was as fast as the guys in my class. Yep, I'm strong! ;-)

Woke up with this song playing in my head

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Home" from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.

I woke up this morning with this song playing in my head.
I have lots to do today and I'm putting of a 13 mile run. I hope I'll have time to do it later this evening.
I feel like I'm paying the price for eating a lot of foods I'm not supposed to yesterday today. Feel so sluggish and yucky.

Boy on brussel sprouts

J: 'healthy' is overrated
AF: 'unhealthy' is the definition of bad for you.
J: it depends
AF: how so?
J: brussels sprouts are bad but they're not unhealthy
AF: not "bad" but "bad for you"
J: hahaha
J: totally didn't read it that way
AF: i realize that now. funny
AF: i can't believe we're friends and you don't like brussels sprouts
AF: i will have to reevaluate my friend screening process :P
AF: they are the best tiny cabbages served at thanksgiving dinners nation-wide
J: they smell like feet
J: and taste about the same
J: i feel like throwing up just thinking about brussels sprouts
AF: i'll remember that for the future
J: why is that worthy of remembering for you?
AF: in case we are in a life threatening situation and the only solution involves vomit
AF: it's good to know how to get a ready supply
AF: "oh no! the emergancy door release is behind that new glass that can only be broken by the acids in human vomit!"
"quick, J! Think about brussel sprouts!"
"blrrrrgggggggggghhhhhh"
"we're saved!"
J: i don't know anyone quite like you
AF: i'm going to take that as a compliment



///////



ME: how did the conversation start with healthy?
AF: we were talking about the voodoo involved in calculating BMI and she asserted that gyms suck and health is overrated
AF: to which i uncharacteristically took the side of health advocate
AF: also i was pretty proud of my line "unhealthy is the definition of bad for you"
AF: even though it caused confusion
AF: i felt clever in my mind
ME: where do you come up with that stuff?
AF: the many hundreds of hours i've spent alone in a room have helped me build an active imagination and warped perspective
ME: the hundreds of hours I've spent alone running have helped me build an active imagination but not a warped perspective

Just another manic Monday... ?

Had a bit of strange encounter today. Got my adrenaline rushing. My blood boiled a bit.

I was standing in front of a shop at the corner of Georgia and Granville Streets waiting for AF when a guy started to harass me. I told him to fuck off to show that I wasn't scared of him but I think that gave him fuel for his hate of me and my slanty eyes.

I stood my ground and didn't move as he put his face really close to mine and threatened death at me by gesturing slitting the throat and told me to go back to Hong Kong and China.

He went on to thank me and my people for building the railway and gestured slitting the throat again and hammering nails. He walked around a bit and continued to gesture the hammering nails and slitting throat.

I stood there silent and just faced him. I didn't want to show fear or weakness.

He asked if I knew how I and my people treated dogs - by frying them in peanut oil.

He walked back up close to me again.

He gestured again slitting of the throat and strangling and said something about fishing lines and something about thin eyes.

I couldn't hear him anymore because my anger and adrenaline was taking over and all I could hear was my heart pounding.

At that moment I really wished that I was physically strong. I wanted to pick him up and slam him on the ground. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him sorry. I wanted him to know and feel the hurt. But he didn't even deserve that. He didn't deserve any of my energy. He wasn't worth it. He's not worth it. It's not worth perpetuating such a negative energy.

His life already sucks. He chooses to carry the burden of hate and anger.

Listen to the lyrics of Matisyahu in the above video.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I'll leave you with this great photo. Sometimes people race their horses along side the cyclists on the Tour de France. I think I saw it at Stage 8 last week and then again with 2 horsies at Stage 11! In Montana, they've got this guy!

Have a great weekend!