Recently in Life of Leisure Category
These days it's truly a rarity for me, but I had quite the busy day. I attempted a run, but only made it 4.5k before my 'good' knee gave out, Then it was off to do a bike ride for a while, before returning home to paint for about 7 hours (awesome... awesome). Today I'll be doing nothing at all and enjoying every minute of it.
There's so much to fix in this heap of a house, that sometimes it's hard to take one step forward towards changing anything. Combined with a family that all have two left hands, you may be surprised to know that I'm the only one doing anything to get Chez Johnson ready for it's closeup. After this is done, my parents and I are even. They brought me into the world - I turned their crap into gold.
It's funny to think that people are paying $90 for the (free) privilege of exercising, but I don't look at it that way. Personally I hate going to the gym, because I hate people. That $90 investment allows me to cut out the bric-a-brac and frees me up to butcher that side plank exercise, without having to see some person look quickly away, with that "poor thing..." look on their face. I don't want your pity, asshole! Exercising without scrutiny is a wonderful thing and if I have to work within the limitations of a 'game' to enjoy that privacy, that's certainly something I can accept.
I also picked up a bike, seeing as my last one was stolen during the lovely eight months that I spent in the city. Walking is great, but sometimes you need to get where you're going with a bit more urgency and the lack of a bike was really limiting my already limited options. Other than getting a sturdy lock and a kickstand, the only thing left is a new seat. The current seat is immediately uncomfortable on first sit. Enough so, that the 30 minutes I spent on it was probably enough to ensure that kids won't be in my future, while hemorrhoids will.
On that pleasant note, have a lovely day.
I watched 'Iron Man', last night and I thought it was very well made. All of the major roles were cast nicely and it was well directed. Scanning the Rotten Tomatoes reviews, one critic put it best, when he said "...Robert Downey Jr is the film's best special effect.". I was skeptical of him playing a superhero, but I'm not aware of any other known actor who could have, as it required the colonel's special blend of 11 secrets herbs and spices, including 'asshole', 'arrogant' and 'aggresive sarcasm' and with that kind of assiduously applied alliteration, how could I possibly be wrong in my assessment?
Anyway.
I have a personal message for one M. Bay. Have you seen this movie yet, guy? Bring a notepad and have your assistant take some notes (as I fear you can neither read nor write), before slowly reading them back to you. When compared to your 'work', it manages to do a 180 and then go another 360 degrees, for good measure. Proof that movies can make a lot of money, without appealing to the lowest common denominator of 'Ohhh... Shiny! Bright! Explosion!'
Off to bed for me, as I have an early start to the morning, but I leave you with this gem:
It took a couple of years, but I was able to get back out for a round of golf and while I didn't set any records, it was an amazing time. We've been on a tear of good weather lately, so that doesn't hurt either... although it appears to have hurt blog output, as there hasn't been that much boredom to write about.
While running last week, I almost ripped my knee to shreds, so I'm going to try again tomorrow. With all the BBQs I've been attending, I'd better do something soon, or not only will my knee be in pain from running, but also from the massive amount of weight it will have to support.
It's clearly been a little while, since I've posted, but there's not been much to mention. I find myself in Whitby, with my work contract now completed. I was set to start my marathon training this week, for Ottawa, but a cold has sidetracked that effort. Hopefully I'll be out and about, by Monday. Mind you, even if I was feeling better by tomorrow, I wouldn't want to miss a second of The Masters, so running would be put aside, anyway.
So how have I enjoyed my first few days of truly leisurely activity? There's been a lot of walking, a lot of Wii-playing and a lesser amount of movie-watching.
Needless to say, I'm already bored.
I haven't put up any links in a whlie, so here are two. The first one is about a rather remarkable camera, that The New York Times' David Pogue has humorously reviewed. Be sure to watch the video.
The second is a 10-year-old story about the Russian shuttle program and how they 'stole' all the information they needed, from the US. 'Stole' finds itself looking like that, because none of the information regarding the US shuttle program was made classified, while it was in development. Great success!
A Camera for the Shot You Missed - The New York Times
How the Soviets stole a space shuttle - MSNBC.com
Between watching the first season of 'Pushing Daisies' and stopping by Wanda's Pie in the Sky, it's been a pie-filled weekend. I decided to pick up a pie from said store, for Easter dinner, so Alison and I made the trek to Mount Pleasant, after calling ahead to reserve a sour cherry. Lo and behold, dearest Wanda was there to greet us and fetch our pies. Alison also bought her cookbook (and I didn't even prompt her), which means I've officially died and gone to heaven, as that means pies at my beck and call. Wanda was also kind enough to personalize Alison's book with a signature, but that might have been due to a 'buy 3 pies, get a signature' promotion that was being run.
I'll be moving in less than a week and it comes not a moment too soon. I like not having to commute, but sleeping in a real bed will be a welcome change. It will also be a good feeling to get li'l buddy off the ground and on the wall and to hook up the Wii that's been in its package for the last month or so. It will also be nice to start running again, as it will have been almost two months since my last run, by the time I'm back in Whitby.
I've been neglecting things, so my bad. It's been a hectic last few weeks, so it's not like I was being totally lazy... Just a bit lazy. I saw a band called Wintersleep, with Alison, last Thursday. She's a fan, so I hopped on the wagon and we went to see them play at the Phoenix. That had been the first show I've seen, since The National, so it was good to get back out. A lot of the people there seemed to be fervent fans and were singing along, which was cool. A nice vibe for sure.
So have some links:
When Republicans Endorse Obama - Newsweek.com
Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags - The New York Times
There Will Be Blood - The New York Times
Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested Obama in Senate - The New York Times
The Edwards Effect - The New York Times
Chinese students pulled by opposing tides - The Washington Post / MSNBC.com
Another weekend bites the dust. The weekend highlight is easy to pick out, because it's pretty much the only thing I did and that's run a whole 11k. Most of you know that I used to run marathons, but after numerous setbacks with my knee... Let's just say that 11k feels like a big deal. A workmate reminded me of a pre/post-run stretch that I used to do back in my heyday, but had been lost to the mists of time in between injuries. Actually, it wasn't just any stretch, but the one key stretch I needed to do, to ensure a pain-free run. What I'm saying is that I could have been enjoying marathons for the last four years, instead of physiotherapists and osteopaths. Ahh, the life of an early onset Alzheimer's patient... A longish story short, I'm hoping to pick up the distance and be ready for at least the Ottawa 1/2, in May.
In other news, if all the stars align, I may be on the move at the end of either this month, or next. After an eventful five months at 163 Sterling, it looks like I might head back to the relatively calm 20 Silverbirch for my final six months. It's unfortunate, as I was really really looking forward to Spring and Summer in the city, but I'll take sanity over fun, 10 times out of 10. On the bright side, I'll be able to play golf a bit more than last years' once (which also equals the total from the year before).
As per our usual I-didn't-agree-to-this-arrangement arrangement, here are some links for you to check out. Topics include the Oscars, Olympics, architecture and the arts:
There Will Be Oscars - Newsweek
'Country' men discuss Oscar-nominated film - AP/MSNBC
Towering change for China - Financial Times
Smoke-free, customer-free in Beijing - Reuters/MSNBC
To Boldly Go Where Shakespeare Calls - The New York Times
Finally, congrats to Mr. Obama, for getting the job done in SC. Running against two Clintons can take its toll, although you wouldn't know it, from the 28 point margin of victory and the extremely large voter turnout.
