Our next adventure

Well, it looks like the appointments I referred to here and here worked.

Back from Obabika

First of all, let me send out a big Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Honestly, I used to think she was kinda dull, but what teenager doesn't? Actually, I've recently discovered that she has quite the adventuresome side. Today she's driving a rented car across the springtime prairies to Cochrane, Alberta, visiting family and savouring freedom. Have a great day-after-your-birthday, Mom!

Myself, I've recently returned from Obabika Lake. Anna basically kicked me out of the house, saying I'd been cooped up all winter and had to get out. Went out there to visit with Alex Mathias for his own 60th birthday party. First evening was a great party, campfire by the beach, tall stories in Chinchilla Lodge, and Temagami huskies running amok amidst the revelers. Then I headed across the lake to Ranger Point, where Ed, Kim and myself did a big cleanup of an old can and bottle dump. You know it's old when the rusty Iron City beer can has no pulltab, no pop-top, just two holes in the top made with a nail. You can see a few photos on the Friends of Temagami weblog.




Tall stories abound at Chinchilla Lodge











Alex Mathias holds court

Buddy Wasisname concert a great success!

Anna and I just returned from last weekend's Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers concert in Peterborough. They played two nights at the Market Square, but we only made it for Saturday. It was a great show and I hope you will get to see them sometime. There were people who came all the way from Ohio (and Temagami) to see the show, so that must say something about their qualities as entertainers. My Mom and Dad were there, as well as sister Lisa and her hubby Yves, Jodie and Jim, Jodie's mom, Jim's sister....

This photo wasn't from the Peterborough concert. I've got one on my camera, give me a day to download it here.

Proceeds from the concert are going to Jodie and Lisa's Ride to Conquer Cancer. I've just sent out an email to what seems like a million people, asking them to make a donation (if they haven't already done so). Nothing to stop you from making a 2nd donation! I've made two! Jodie and Lisa have now surpassed their target of $5700, but that's no reason to stop, so take a minute to make a donation. The link is to the right of this post.

Thanks!

PS Yesterday's workout was As Many Rounds in 20-Minutes of 10x65# thruster and 10 pullups. I did 9 rounds plus one extra thruster for good measure. I thought I might die for lack of oxygen after that, but instead just gasped on the ground for a good 10 minutes!

And today's workout was Elizabeth (21-15-9 reps of 100# clean and ring dips). Time: 15:50
This was done with the names Diane and Mike written on my hand. People are sending me names of loved ones to dedicate my workouts to. Both Diane and Mike are battling cancer.

Need sleep

Stop me if you've heard this one before....

Only 7 hours last night. Seven hours feels like 3 or 4. Every morning I wake feeling like I've slept 3 or 4 hours. I don't want to go back on the sleeping pills, their side effects were worse than the insomnia. Anna gave me some homeopathic sleeping pills one night. They seemed to work, without side effects. Should try them again tonight, even though I don't believe in homeopathics.

Today's workout was 50 burpees. A burpee is a pushup, then squat, then jump, in one fluid motion. My fluidity seemed more like viscosity after about the 20th rep. Time: 5:02.

I'm off for a bath, then maybe a nap.

Updates

Jodie and Lisa have raised $5100 of their $5700 goal. Let's push them over the top! I still have to send out an email to a long list of people asking for their support and providing an update.

Which leads me to my computer. It's dead. Long live my little 12" iBook. Looks like I'm in the market for a new MacBook and will be using Anna's PC until that time (ugh).

I'm on vacation right now. You will remember that I was to be on a canoe trip. I'd been looking forward to it all winter. Must be something really special to postpone (not cancel) my solo trip to Chee-skon's Conjuring Rock. Update on that to follow.

And today's workout is Annie: 100 pullups, 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats for time. 26:03

Poetry corner

I wanted to put a new poem in the sidebar (check out the Zen classic there by Basho), but I didn't want to lose this gem, so here it is (for part of eternity, anyway).

Nothing twice by Wislawa Szymborska

Nothing can ever happen twice
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.

Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.

No day copies yesterday,
no two nights will teach what bliss is
in precisely the same way
with exactly the same kisses.

One day, perhaps, some idle tongue
mentions your name by accident:
I feel as if a rose were flung
into the room, all hue and scent.

The next day, though you're here with me,
I can't help looking at the clock:
A rose? A rose? What could that be?
Is it a flower or a rock?

Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.

With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we're different (we concur)
just as two drops of water are.

Is anyone still out there?

Isn't this a pretty watercolour? From Diamond Lake. It's from Clive Powsey at http://water-colourpaintings.blogspot.com/

Or have you all left considering I've been so neglectful recently? We'll see how many of you have this in an RSS feed...

Over four weeks since my last chemo. I think my body is having a sympathetic reaction - I'm somewhat grumpy, I can't sleep so well, just like when I was on prednisone! Perhaps now my body realizes though that that phase is over. I hope so.

I just returned from my first run in a looooong time. I think my last run was a 5 km jaunt just before chemo #1. I ran it in about 20 minutes. Today I ran about 6 km in over 36 minutes. I felt like I was running through drying glue, my legs were so upset with me. I've recently abandoned the "lift heavy things" fitness philosophy in favour of returning to CrossFit. Calendar shoot is in 3-4 weeks, so I need to look my best. I've also stopped gorging myself and have returned to eating clean - paleo (i.e. caveman food), intermittent fasting (eat lots in a 10 am - 6 pm window of time, and not at all outside of that. I'd gained over 10 lbs. in 2 months while eating everything but the kitchen sink. Lots of muscle, and some fat too. Now is time to 'cut' the fat and show off that (mostly hairless) body.

Rob, if you liked my Giant story, you must really have got a chuckle out of this post!