This image is of mother earth and father time by Brian O-connor, it seems to symbolize the old year being carried off by the new year.
As this is the last Blog post of the year I wanted it to be a good one. What to say? Should I do a top 10 list? I could churn out a recap of memorable events from 2003. I could even do a forward-looking piece, kind of resolutionish?
Nah.
When it comes to New Years, everything that’s profound and meaningful has been said by someone else.
So beyond saying that 2003 was the year I regained control of my health and gained a better understanding of what's important in my life I will leave you (those that read my drivel) with these nuggets of wisdom I surfed across while searching for the quintessential description of "New Years"

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.
~ Horace Mann ~

In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking.
~ Sir John Lubbock ~

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
~ Hector Louis Berlioz ~

We made it. The old year, for better or worse, is gone for good. The new year has begun with fresh promise. Here's our chance to start again, to do it right this time, to have another shot at success...at glory...at just accomplishing what we resolve to. It's time to shed that baggage from the year long gone and celebrate what can be in the 365 untouched days to come. Happy New Year!

There must be something inside of us that needs to unload the accumulated results of fate and our own decisions and start anew. The Romans knew this. The month of January was named for their god, Janus, who is pictured with two heads. One looks forward, the other back, symbolizing a break between the old and new. The Greeks paraded a baby in a basket to represent the spirit of fertility. Christians adopted this symbol as the birth of the baby Jesus and continued what started as a pagan ritual. Today our New Year's symbols are a newborn baby starting the next year and an old man winding up the last year.

John Shelper

What then is the philosophic meaning of New Year’s resolutions? Every resolution you make on this day implies that you are in control of your self, that you are not a victim fated by circumstance, controlled by stars, owned by luck, but that you are an individual who can make choices to change your life. You can learn statistics, ask for that promotion, fight your shyness, search for that marriage partner. Your life is in your own hands.
But what is the purpose of making such goals and resolutions? Why bother? Making New Year’s resolutions (and doing so even after failing last year’s) stresses that people want to be happy. On New Year’s Day many people accept, often more implicitly than explicitly, that happiness comes from the achievement of values. That is why you resolve to be healthier, more ambitious, more confident. You want to enjoy that sense of purpose, accomplishment and pleasure that one feels when achieving values. It is happiness that is the motor and purpose of one’s life. It is New Year’s, more than any other day, that makes the attainment of happiness more real and possible. This is the meaning of New Year’s Day and why it is so psychologically important and significant to people throughout the world.
If people were to apply the value-achievement meaning of New Year’s Day explicitly and consistently 365 days each year, they would be happier.
So every day, fill your champagne glass of life to the brim with values — and drink deep to your life and the joy that it can and should be.
Happy New Year. Happy life.

Scott A. McConnell

On New Years Eve the Lord of the Rings will be closer to Earth and brighter than at any time in three decades. All month long skywatchers can enjoy Saturn at its finest. A similar opportunity won't come again for another 30 years.
If in 2003 we had the Summer of Mars, this will be the Winter of Saturn.
On Dec. 31, Saturn will be opposite the Sun in relation to Earth. That means from our planet, Saturn will rise as the Sun sets, reaching its highest point in the southern sky at midnight and setting as the Sun rises. Astronomers call this opposition.

Take it away "Old Blue Eyes"

My Way

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.
I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.
I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.
To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

Frank Sinatra

Happy New Year Eveyone!
All the Best in 2004

Well the year is almost over and I thought it would be interesting to see how far I have traveled since I started writing down my daily exercise endeavors. So Without further adeau.

Today
Exercise
Bike 16.2 miles
Swim 1km

Diet
Breakfast
Raisin Bran, banana, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Bagel and Cream cheese
Snack
Carrot
Dinner
Stew and bread
Snack
More stew and bread
Honey bun.

Total Distance covered by exercising since October 29, 2003

Walking 47 Kilometers
Running 86 kilometers (That’s over 2 marathons)
Bike 312 Kilometers
Swim 25 kilometers
Total 470 kilometers (Cool)

I love it when I get the opportunity to introduce my kids to really good old movies. The kind I know they will enjoy as much as I did the first time I saw them. I remember when I was a young boy, and my mom taking me to see "The Sound of Music". I thought it would be stupid and tried hard to get out of going but she made me. We went to a Saturday matinee at the old Odeon theatre in Peterborough and sat in the very center seats. I remember the sound being incredible and I think I fell in love with Julie Andrews and Natalie Wood at the same time. Its still one of the best movies I've ever seen. Tonight I introduced my kids to the "Princess Bride". They were riveted to the screen for the entire 2 hours. My son demanded I explain how the machine in the pit of despair worked and my daughter could not get enough of the princess and the wedding bits. The late great Andre the Giant was a big hit as well and Jack recognized him from a PS2 WWF game. My favorite part is knowing that there are many more late great movie nights to come.

Exercise
Bike 10 miles (tried a bit of hill training today)
Run 5 KM (the last km I did wind sprints)
Weights
Swim 500 meters (the pool is very crowded on weekends)
It was nice to see so many people at the gym today. The new years resolution keeners no doubt.

Diet
Breakfast
Raisin Bran and Coffee
Lunch
PowerAid
Snack
V8 and a Carrot
Dinner
Pork Roast and Vegetables
Snack
Honey bun and Coffee

Well its on and I'm almost ready to book the accommodations. JUNE 10th to the 13th
I just need to firm up the numbers.
We will have the same crew in as last year (Roger, Rick, Scott, Bryan, Jack, Kathleen) plus at least one extra-Victoria
I also invited my brother in law Sammy and he is tentative. I am going to book in January.

A while back I wrote an article about energy saving light bulbs, how I bought a bunch of them to save money and energy. I would be surprised if it inspired anyone to buy even one light bulb. I may sound cynical but I think today’s society lives in the moment of excess, and the majority of people could give a flying fuck about things like the environment, global warming, pollution and the future for our children behond lip service. While you think about that read where George Bush's mind is at on the subject.

President Bush has opposed most efforts to improve fuel economy, saying they could cost U.S. jobs. An energy bill endorsed by the White House and passed by the House does not touch the current standards, but the legislation has stalled in the Senate. Bush has raised $1.9 million for his re-election from the oil and automotive industries. In addition to considering fuel economy standards for large SUVs that weigh from 8,500 to 10,000 pounds, NHTSA said it is considering new fuel economy standards for light trucks and SUVs based on their weight. Environmentalists said such standards would encourage automobile manufacturers to build heavier vehicles to take advantage of requirements that are more lax. "The Bush administration is proposing to manipulate the most effective energy saving law to benefit the auto and oil industry polluters," said Daniel Becker, director of the global warming and energy project for the Sierra Club. "The Bush administration proposal is a giant Christmas gift for polluters but threatens consumers and the environment." The Transportation Department said its proposal regarding truck weights was designed to reduce any incentive to make the vehicles lighter, which could make them less safe.

Sure is getting warm out there. Sorry for the rant its just that I feel so sad for the children.....

After what seemed like a month of inactivity, I put on my running shoes today and hit the street. As I ran, I thought about all the food I'd consumed over the last 72 hours. 2 turkey dinners, the trifle, apple pie, stuffing (3 kinds), sweet potato's, gravy, peta, rice, fruit, wine, pancakes and the list goes on. It would seem to be a small miracle that I had not gained any weight back and I could still kinda run. I fell off the wagon and had several cigarettes on Christmas eve after 4 bottles of wine and on boxing day at the mall surrounded by the multitudes of bargain hunters. I felt every puff as my feet hit the asphalt and my lungs gasped for oxygen. I wondered how it could be that my new toys were not powering me through this tough run? My new MP3 player that I had spent the last 4 hours figuring out and uploading running music to for this very event, but the music seemed secondary to the pounding of my heart in my chest. My new Timex IronMan BodySmart wrist watch, with its chronometer and split lap time, target heart rate meter and Indiglo light seemed far too complicated for my mind which was preoccupied with making my legs propel my body forward. Happiness was to stop. In the end my thoughts were with all of the newly appointed get fit resolutioners out there. I thought of them putting on there running shoes and thinking about the turkey dinners and oh yes...the pain.. Good luck all.

Exercise
3km run
2km walk
25 pushups.
(I felt somewhat disappointed in this output but I kept saying to myself "its better than nothing")

Diet
Breakfast
Coffee
Lunch
Noodle soup with Vegetables
Dinner
California rolls (3)
Corn beef sandwiches on rye bread with hot mustard sauerkraut and Fontana cheese.
Honey bun and peanuts.

Found this on Joi Ito's blog
sounds like fun!

Address book poker
14:57 JST » Humor - Wireless and Mobile
Reading Jill's comments over on misbehaving reminded me of a game that some people play in Japan. (I learned it from Eno-san.) It originated with business cards, but has moved to mobile phones. There are three people: two players and a judge. The two players pick someone from their address books and reveal them to each other simultaneously. The judge decides which one is more famous or important. The loser has to shred the business card or in the case of mobile phones, delete that entry from the address book. It's quite funny because you try to play important people to beat the other person, but if you lose, you lose a valuable phone number. The judge's perspective of what sort of person is important also comes into play in an interesting way.

It's no fun when you have backups of your phone numbers, but in Japan, where most people don't backup their mobile phone numbers, it's often for keeps.

Don't try this at home.

This is a photo of Percy Boom Haven. I stumbled across it last summer while looking for cottage properties. It is located just south of Campbellford off Hwy. 30 (county road 30) on the Trent Severn Waterway outside a small village called Meyersburg. The fishing looks excellent, they have all the species. The lady at the resort said it was one of the top 10 best fishing spots in Ontario, Probably because hardly anyone knows about it, I don't think people consider a river to go on a fishing trip. I'm thinking the weekend of June 10 to 13th, that gives us Thursday night arrival, Friday all day, Saturday all day, Sunday head for home. All the pricing and info are on the web site.
The weekend should run under $500 bucks all in (cottage, boats and gas) divided by 4 of course, so about $125.00 each. I will see if I can arrange for some Pickrel fishing lessons for Bryan before we head out but I can't promise anything. I’ll be in touch, let me know what you think.

On an end of summer trip through WalMart my wife and I stumbled into the canning section. We could not believe our eyes, ALL THE CANNING STUFF WAS ON SALE!!!! So we started to fill the cart with big jars and small jars and in between jars and lids and cook books and spices and tools and anything else that looked like a canning thing! We spent well over $100.00 on the stuff. We proceeded to read recipe after recipe looking for "good ones" which we in turn book marked. The next day we compiled a shopping list and hit the farmers market, the grocery stores and the roadside vendors. All the while chanting the mantra "Fresh is best, Fresh is best". After spending another 150.00 on produce we were ready to start cookin and a cannin. First we made Peach Chutney then antipasto, tomato chili, peach jam, kosher dill pickles, pickled beats, blackberry jam, roasted red peppers and feta in olive oil, red pepper jelly and last but not least Mom's Apple Pie In A Jar.

A taste of heaven for pie lovers! Whether you serve this spread on bread or use it more creatively, you're sure to receive rave reviews for its good taste. For a quick sweet lift, spoon this spread onto cake, waffles or into tiny padded tart shells.

Exercise
Run 3km (on the treadmill, I jacked up the pace to 6mph, I've got work to do)
Walk (not sure how far but for 15 minutes at a brisk pace)
Weights Short program (all upper body with no abs work cause of the hernia)

Diet
Breakfast
Toast with jam, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Left over Lasagna
Snack
V8
Dinner
Sushi
Snack
Nachos and salsa

I've been having a debate in my head regarding posting photographs for public consumption of my children on my blog. On one hand I think that a few more photos in a see of data is like adding a raindrop to the ocean. This act screams of insignificance. Who would care? Who would see them? On the other hand I have my paranoia’s and personal boogie men in the closet of my minds eye. Is my most important job as a father not to protect my children? Now that I have had the opportunity to put my thoughts on paper I think I am going to let the rain drop fall into the ocean.

The significance of man is that he is
that part of the universe that asks the
question, What is the significance of
Man? He alone can stand apart imaginatively
and, regarding himself and the universe
in their eternal aspects, pronounce a
judgement: The significance of man is
that he is insignificant and is aware
of it.
-Carl Lotus Becker,
Progress and Power, 1935

Yesterday was a bust as far a exercising goes.
I have not been able to fit the gym in since they have been with me full time.
Yesterday I took them swimming, thinking I could squeeze in some laps while they frolicked in the kiddy pool
No such luck. "Daddy play with us" was the phrase of the afternoon. I guess I exercised a bit because of the playtime but its just not the same.
Oh well, there is always today.

Exercise
played with kids

Diet
Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Sandwich
Dinner
Lasagna

Not much doing this weekend. My wife went to New York with her brother. My son had a friend sleep over Friday night. My daughter slept over at friends Friday night. The kids played "Goblin Commander" (OK I played too) on Saturday and today And I took the boys to see "The Return Of The King" Which was probably the highlight.

I did post a comment on another blog which is turning into an amusing if not bizarre discussion regarding mans interpretation of the scriptures. The latest response from the author is titled "Does God have a penis?"
Rich Agozino is the owner of the blog (I think) Not Rich Mullins (who is a deceased Christian/gospel musician)

Exercise
None to speak of since Friday but my legs are feeling a lot better. I think the rest did me good.
Diet
I have been grazing for most of the weekend, which is not good.

I’m Sorry to disappoint you. The Title was a ruse. I have had several discussions with Ross regarding the "Article Title's” of Blogs and how they affect traffic. Does sensationalism drives traffic? I think people would/should be discusted by this Title and not check it out. But then again knowing the old stop and gawk at the accident problem on the QEW during morning rush hour I could probably sell advertising with this Title. Thanks for Visiting!

I took my son and a friend of his to see Return of the King tonight.
I remember reading Tolkien’s trilogy when I was 12 and even back then I though it would make a great flick.
To sum it all up:
If you liked the Fellowship and you really liked the Two Towers you will love The Return Of The King.
It was phenomenal. The battle for Minas Tirith was mind-boggling. A perfect marriage between special effects and acting. well worth the $$$
If I had to say something bad about it. It was about 20 minutes too long.

My trip to the Y came early today. Because its the last day of school before the Christmas break all the kids were let out just after lunch. For me this meant, drop the kiddies off and straight to the gym. On my way there I planned out the rest of my morning before the pickup. This included finishing off the rest of my shopping. I definitely did not want to have to drag my little ones along with me next week to battle the masses at the shopping malls. Even today it was insanely busy. I decided to park about a km away from the toy store and I am glad I did. I always get a kick out of the sea of mini vans out front of the Toys R us this time of year. I only had to get one more gift for my niece. I have to confess I do not see the interest in "girl toys." To me one doll looks allot like the next and the next and the next. I choose to go the route of the craft and picked up a pottery wheel kit and a doll thing just in case.
It feels good to be done.

Exercise
13 miles on the bike
2 km run (this one hobbled me and I still hurt)

Diet
Breakfast
None
Snack
poweraid, V8
Lunch
a licks burger and fries.
Snack
None
Dinner
Lasagna and garlic bread
Snack
Popcorn

Instead of exercising my physical body today I exercised my good will toward my fellow man, I exercised my heart, I exercised my Christmas spirit, I exercised my compassion for the less fortunate and I exercised the values that I hope to pass down to my children. Instead of going to the YMCA with my gym bag over my shoulder I went with a big box of food and some toys for their Christmas food/toy drive. On the way to drop off the goods I told my daughter a story about a little boy and his mom who didn’t have money to buy nice toys and food at Christmas. How the little boys mom would try her best to make sure the little boy got a few presents and how a box full of toys and food would arrive Christmas day. I told her that we had just made one of those boxes for a little boy and his mom.

"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party."
~?~

"If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
~ Bob Hope ~

As I was zipping around the Internet today I came across this quote by "Thomas Friedman, New York Times"
Here was the articulation of a question I have pondered in my head on several occasions. I wonder how it will play out.

Moment of truth in Iraq
"We have entered a moment of truth in Iraq. We are now going to get the answer to the big question I had before the war: Is Iraq the way it is because Saddam was the way he was? Or was Saddam the way he was because Iraq is the way it is - ungovernable except by an iron fist?"
Thomas Friedman in today's New York Times:

I think the thing I like most about Christmas is it gives me a great reason to touch base with family and friends I may have neglected over the course of the year. It's a time when I can lay the past to rest, mend the fences, rekindle old friendships and acquaintances, and let bygones be bygones. Each year my wife quizzes me about the Christmas card list, "do you still want to send a card to so and so?" I always say yes. I like to think about the expression on the faces of the recipients, it makes me feel good inside. Kind of like winning money in a lottery, but not.
I wish life made it easier to keep in touch with people, but it doesn’t. Thank god for Christmas. (and blogs?)

"Go often to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the unused path."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Monday after my run I was in so much pain I limped out of the gym. I took yesterday off partly due to the leg pain and partly because of the dizzy spells. Today I returned with a goal in mind. I know I said I was not going to run anymore this week but my legs felt OK and I had to repent for the buffet last night. I started my workout off with an ibuprofen and a thick coating of A535 on both legs from ankle to upper thigh. I then proceeded to stretch my legs for about 20 minutes before my run. As I circled the track I began to think about the short term goals I had set for myself last month and performed a quick mental progress check. So far I have only accomplished the "swim 2 km crawl with out stopping". I felt it was time to try and cross off another one. I decided not to push my legs so I nixed the 10-km run. I opted for a mini triathlon time. Even though I did it backwards I still feel OK with the effort. I actually think its harder to do the run first and the swim last. I did not track my transition times because I didn’t wear a watch but I am guessing I could add about 7 minutes to my total if I did.

Exercise
Run 5km 31:29
Bike 20km 43:38
Swim 1km 27:53 (I could have done better but I forgot my regular swim shorts and the ones I was wearing kept slipping down)
Total Time 1hr 43 minutes (a bench mark to improve on)
(+7 minutes transition)

Diet
Breakfast
Cherios and skim milk, Coffee
Snack
poweraid
Lunch
V8
Snack
None
Dinner
Spicy Thai vegetables with rice noodles, a piece of birthday cake
Snack
Coffee, another piece of cake

From the moment I got out of bed today my head has been spinning. It’s the same sensation I use to get when I was taking Zyban while trying to quit smoking. And similar to the momentary spins I would get while reading at night before I got my reading glasses. Needless to say I did not make it to the gym today. I'm trying to think of what may have caused me to feel this way and the only thing I can think of is the T/D shot I got yesterday at the doctors or could it be an early onset of the flu. Wouldn't that be nice. Not only would I be sick but I would have to look after the kids alone all weekend while Syzan is in NY, NY. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.
Jack's birthday went well and he seemed pleased with his gifts. He got a game for the PS2 (Goblin Commander), "The Guinness Book of World Records 2004", A Magic Trick Kit, a push pop from his sister and some clothes from Grandma and Grandpa. Oh yea and a home made cake by Dad. We also went to Mandarin for dinner. The kids love it there because of the variety. I have a long history of gastronomic battles with buffets going back over 25 years to my 1st Buffet at a place called the Ponderosa. Looking back it was really nothing more than a shitty salad bar but to a hungry, stoned 15 year old it was a buffet.
I can still remember trying to determine whether I got good value for my money.
Next came the Las Vegas buffet. This has to be where the true meaning of the word feast came from. I learned the hard way that it’s possible to ruin a nice vacation by over eating. By the hard way I mean on our 4th trip to Sin City I finally figured out I could not eat so much as to "rip them off" so I stopped trying. I ate somewhat normal meals and was happier for it. Since this revelation I have been trying to master the buffet. Tonight was my best attempt at perfection yet.
To remove the guilt and stomach pain from over eating your 1st plate should be vegetables, Lots of vegetables all other plates of food should contain vegetables. At the end of the buffet you should be able to say over 50% of your meal was fruits and vegetables. Next only drink water, lots of water, as much as you want. Seafood is a good food choice as long as its not fried. For desert make sure you take a piece of each kind of fruit. Keep portions small and never, never overload your plate to create what I call "Buffet Stew" If you follow these pointers you will be a happy buffet eater.

Exercise
None (sick day)

Diet
Breakfast
Coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Noodle soup with vegetables
Dinner
Mandarin Buffet
Snack
Pistachio nuts.

I have a piano in my living room, it was originally my grandmothers. When she passed away in 1970 it became my mothers and in 2000 after my moms passing it became mine. In my moms house it was nothing more than a strange shaped table and was not really played on over 30 years. My Grandfather coated it with brown house paint (to cover the ugly Mahogany colour I guess) back in the late 60's. At my moms house a thick coat of nicotine and tar was added from cigarette smoke. So the first thing I did was get it refinished, refurbished and tuned. It came out better than expected and is a beautiful addition to our home decor. During the month of September I, like most parents run around and sign the kids up for various extra curricular activities and since the arrival of the Piano I thought it a great idea to enroll my son and daughter in piano lessons. After checking out a number of places and speaking to some of the other parents in the neighborhood I decided on "The Addison Music Learning Center"
All I can say is "what a mistake!" First off, programs that run right after school are hard, because of the rush factor, I must say "hurry up" at least 20 times during the hour and a half between the end of school and the start of piano lessons. My son also has Judo right after my daughter’s music lesson (I was told she was too young at 4 to learn piano) so Monday nights is particularly tight for time. But this was a self-inflicted problem that I resigned myself to when I signed them up. What I didn’t count on was the "funky clock syndrome" as I call it, that takes place at music school. For the first 6 weeks of lessons the clocks were always 7 minutes slow. I found this made it quite difficult because of the increased traffic, 2 times as many kids (coming and going) 2 times as many parents and 2 times as many cars in the parking lot. By week 7 I had the "funky clock syndrome" figured out and would arrive exactly 8 minutes late by all the other clocks in the world and miss all the congestion. This worked for exactly 1 week. On week 2 all the clocks were set properly and I arrived for my sons piano lesson 8 minutes late. Argh!
I was delighted to find a voice mail at home asking me where Jack was and letting me know that the lesson started 7 minutes ago. I also find it interesting that the owner of "The Addison Music Learning Center" uses her clients email addresses to flog her wares (she is a Jazz singer). I can't tell you how much I love to get Spam.
Some of the other issues
1. My daughter was placed into the wrong class (with toddlers) and left there for 3 weeks before she was moved. She ended up missing a class because of this, but I had to fight with the receptionist for a credit.
2. I was told my son had finished his 4 ”intro. to piano lessons” on his 3rd one.
Last week was the last straw. The previous week while getting into the van to go to piano, jack bumped his head and it was bleeding. I thought he may need stitches and he was quite upset when he saw the blood. I called the school to tell them what happened and let them know that Jack would not be attending. Last night I asked them about a makeup class. I was told "sorry, too bad, no can do” She then asked me for Jacks money for the 2nd term. She failed to mention that I could sit in on the second half of my daughter’s class and see the performance they had put together. I wonder, should I renew? NOT!!!

Yesterday was the big day and I went for my physical. I walked into my doctor’s office at 10am thinking the traffic should be rather light. NOT! There must have been 50 people in there (was I ever glad I had gotten my flu shot last month). I went up to the check in window to let them know I had arrived and to let them scan my health card which is at least 15 years old. It choose that exact moment to break into 3 pieces and required surgery by the receptionist in order to prolong its existence in my wallet. (Could this be foreshadow) After the check in I meandered over to the magazines and absentmindedly flicked through them while in the back of my mind I was trying to size up the sick people adjacent to the 2 vacant chairs. Just when I was about to make my choice the nurse called out my name. Go figure I had not been in the office for 5 minutes and I got called! If looks could kill, I wanted to rub salt in those looks and yell out "have a nice wait suckers" but I refrained. The nurse took me over and weighed me and measured me (my height). I was disappointed to discover that I had gained 8 pounds on my drive over to my appointment, I wracked my brains trying to think of what I might have inhaled to gain so much in such a short time.
She then took me into the little waiting room and told me to strip down to my underwear. I figured that all those workouts at the gym must really be paying off but before I could get my shirt off she left. I stood in front of the window in my gitch for several minutes watching the bustling crowd below when my doctor arrived. We proceeded to chat about my family history, my general health and my business. He then proceeded to check my heart, lungs, eyes, ears, mouth, joints, gut, posture, mobility and last but not least my water works as he put it. Then came the infamous male version of the "scooch forward" which is "cough please" as I coughed he pushed and muttered an ahhh. (Which is never a good sigh coming from ones doctor) "Does it hurt when I push like this", "Ouch, yes" I replied. It turns out "I have a hernia" not a big one, not a little one but and in-between one. I was never aware of this until that moment. Its funny because now that I know about it I can feel it all the time, and since he pushed on it, it hurts more. I wonder if its like a small tear in a piece of clothing, where you know if you poke at it, it will get bigger. I got dressed and he told me I was in pretty good health. He gave me a form for a tetanus / diphtheria needle, a form for some blood work and a referral to a surgeon to check out my "inguinal hernia" and get a second opinion. I can't help but think a hernia repair operation must be worth at least 5 grand to the surgeon so how could he say anything but "I think we need to operate" I mean I would take the coin, wouldn't anybody? For 38 years of life I have avoided broken bones, major diseases and going under the knife, but in my 40th year of life it looks like all that will change. A friend of my said to me "once I hit 40 my body started to fall apart" And to think I thought I could evade Mother Nature.

Exercise
Bike 16 miles
Run 3 km (I have been getting severe pain in my shins from running as of late, I am going to discontinue my runs for a week as see if it gets better)

Diet
Breakfast
none
Snack
none
Lunch
V8
Snack
Power aid
Dinner
2 grilled cheese sandwiches and noodle soup
Snack
Coffee, open chicken face sandwich, 1/2 cup of nuts, bagel with cream cheese.

I liked these and plan to use them when trying to tell people what blog means.

I love to grocery shop and being the bargain hunter I am I could not resist the deal of the day.
20 pounds of Carrots for .99 cents! WOW!! I had to do it. Not because I needed 20 lbs of carrots, not because my family loves carrots but because that’s like .05 cents a pound. So I bought them. Once home with my prize I realized how large a bag of carrots I had purchased and noticed that they would not fit in my refrigerator. So to give myself some time to consider this dilemma I decided to temporarily store them in the laundry room. This was not a good idea. First off I forgot about them. Secondly, they were wrapped in plastic bags within plastic bags, thirdly, the laundry room is one of the warmer rooms in the house. Saturday afternoon I happened to notice my forgotten carrot treasure just in time to observe the heavy condensation forming inside the plastic and a black encroachment on the lovely orange carrot colour. Determined to get my .99 cents worth out of them, I sprang into action. I fired up my trusty PC and started an in-depth recipe search, looking for a way to use my 20 lbs of carrots. After reading over dozens of ideas I decided on 2 culinary adventures. "Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie" and "Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup." When selecting a new recipe to try I usually look for 2 things, what comments other people have made regarding it and if I think it will taste good. Cheesy Chicken potpie was a true winner. It was simple to make (even easier if I had pre made the chicken stock) it had over 75 reviews, the kids ate it and my wife went back for seconds. There were no leftovers. The only problem is it only used 1/3 cup of diced carrots! The Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup" on the other hand called for 1 1/2 lbs of carrots:) (about all that was left after I removed the "black" ones) Another easy recipe to make. This soup is great!!! It has Curry in it which makes it nice and spicy. Its garnished with plain yogurt and diced roma tomatoes which is a great contrast to the spiciness of the curry. So if you like carrots, try these recipes and i'm sure you will see things my way.

It's funny how quickly time passes. I remember writing this 6 weeks ago and wondering silently to myself "I hope I can keep this up for 6 more weeks."

"I am looking forward to my physical (1st on in 25 years) on December 15th, this gives me an additional 6 weeks to work on my temple. OK my ummmm, 1 bedroom condo." Positive Negatives
by rick3528 at 11:59PM (EST) on November 3, 2003

And low and behold, here I am ready as ever to go see my doc. I got a call on Friday from a nurse in his office. She gave me instructions not to eat anything after 8pm on Sunday night. I can't seem to remember if she said, "not to drink anything as well" Oh well, too late. We got about 10 cm of snow overnight/today. My son was out most of the day playing, having snowball fights, tobogganing, and building forts in the stuff. When he came in for dinner he said "this is my best day ever" I guess I have my work cut out for me because his birthday is coming up on Tuesday and Christmas is just around the corner.

I blew the dust off the snow blower today (one of my favorite toys) I went and got gas and mixed it 50:1 with the 2 stroke oil, gave it the customary beginning of winter once over and fired her up. With a little coaxing she was ready to blow (excuse the pun) I started on the sidewalk and cleared all the way down the street and proceeded to do my civic duty, rounded the corner and cleared the snow to the super mail box. I then made my way back and started to do the lane way when I noticed my 4 year old daughter crying in the corner with her little snow shovel. I shut down the blower and asked her "what’s wrong?" She told me she wanted me to shovel with her. So much for my Favorite toy, I put the Toro away and got out my trusty blue snow shovel and proceeded to shovel much to my daughter’s delight. (My active rest for the day) It took about an hour longer but it was at least as much fun as my fav toy if not more:)

Exercise
Shovel snow
Pulled daughter on toboggan for 1km
Diet
Breakfast
Carrot soup
Pancakes, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Goose liver pate and chicken noodle soup
Snack
None
Dinner
Carrot soup, Salad, Chicken wings, ice cream with banana and chocolate sauce, 4 Christmas cookies
Snack
Coke, Tea

How could I not put in my 2 cents worth on a historic event like this.
A real life super villain caught. Betrayed by a member of a family close to him. He is now going to be held accountable for his actions. To be tried by the people he oppressed.
Once a self-absorbed Arab king, The "Tiger" is now nothing more than a haggard, weak old man found living in a dirt hole. They say he had a gun. He had a gun but did not fire a shot. Pathetic! To think of all the people who died following this excuse for a man, all the people that died by his hand. He decided not to fire a shot against his enemy. He decided not to fire a shot into his own head and become a martyr. He is a true coward and a sorry excuse for a human being. It would appear he is in no rush to speak with "ALLAH" I wonder why?

"It's justice giving a Christmas present to itself"
~Rex Reid~

Sometimes I sit and look at the title line for 10 minutes before I start to enter information into the article body. I know it's stupid but it happens none the less. I noticed some people do not enter titles at all when blogging. I wonder if they are having the same problem I am or maybe they just don't care. My wife’s parents are buying her a plane ticket for Christmas to go to New York City. She is very excited about it because she loves to travel and meet new people. She will be going with her brother who was invited to a Christmas party by his modeling agency. I get to take my son and now my daughter to see the Lord Of The Rings - The Return of The King with 2 of his friends followed by a sleep over. (it's his 8th birthday on the 16th and its part of his present) I stopped by to see my old friend Barry on my way home from Toronto yesterday. He told me he played a large hand in arranging his company Christmas party, location, food, secret Santa, etc. It reminds me of several years back at one of my old companies Christmas party's. They were in a pinch for a Santa Clause because the guy who was going to do it bailed at the last minute. Barry volunteered at the last minute to put on the red suit. He is one of the nicest guys I know and if he can do something to help someone out he usually will. He also has tons of Christmas Spirit and is the funniest Jewish Santa I know. ;)

Exercise
Friday
Bike 5 miles
Run 3 km (I had a big plate of pasta for lunch, Big mistake. It reminded me of an episode in "Band Of Brothers" In Toccoa, Ga., 1942, a disparate group of young men begins voluntary training Under the harsh leadership of Lt. Sobel (David Schwimmer). He treats "Easy Company" to a big spaghetti lunch and then makes them run for 10 miles with full gear in the hot sun. Almost all of them puke.)
Weights (short program, had to pick up my kids and ran out of time)
Saturday
Swim 1000 Meters (I'm getting faster if only a little)

Diet
Breakfast
Cereal skim milk coffee Friday
Whole Wheat toast with jam and coffee Saturday
Lunch
Spaghetti with tomato sauce on Friday
Soup Saturday
Dinner
Sushi and Mac and cheese Friday
Saturday?
Snack
Christmas Cookies (I am beginning to hate Christmas Cookies) Friday
Saturday ?

I got to swim with the masse today. There must have been 12 people using the 3 lanes at the pool. I usually bail out when this happends but with 1600+ people going off at the same time during a race I decided to tough it out.
Bilateral breathing is hard...
Exercise
Swim 2000 Meters
Diet
Breakfast
Whole wheat toast with Jam, Coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Cheese Sandwich Veg soup
Snack
V8
Dinner
Pasta with meat sauce and cheese
Snack
lots of cookies and popcorn, cup of tea.

GUILT!
That’s what I feel now when I miss a workout or eat too much. For me the best way to repent is through exercise.

"Take that you fat bastard with no self discipline, no self control. I'll teach me to eat 10 Christmas cookies and miss a workout. I must inflicted torment and pain upon myself at the gym."

Today I totaled the calories I burned during my workout. (I never do this because I really don't care and fail to see the relevance in relation to the big picture) I half to admit I was surprised, "1300 calories" That’s a large extra cheese Pizza all to myself or 2 dozen Christmas cookies with Homo milk! Or about a ton of Carrot Sticks!
I Started to look at wet suits for the Milton Triathlon in June (you up for this one Ross?) because the water is most likely going to be quite cold. But how can I buy one if I continue to loose weight between now and then? I guess I should wait until mid May. They look so cool I can't wait to try a swim in one.
Exercise
Bike 15 Miles (American Equipment has no metric)
Run 6km (I had tons of air left but I lost my legs, Shouldn't have ran in those shitty shoes on Monday)
Weights (The Gravitron 2000 returns with a vengeance) Full Program
Diet
Breakfast
Corn Flakes Skim Milk, Whole Wheat Toast Coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Power aid (a must for long workouts)
Snack
V8
Dinner
Large Cheese and veggie omelet with 2 whole wheat toast and 5 pieces of bacon
Snack
6 Cookies and Popcorn

Today I went to the "Y" Knowing I was going to have a meeting about the "fitness event" but I took my gym bag anyway thinking I could still fit my swim in. Not the case, we had a great meeting about the event and seemed to accomplish a lot. It looks like it will be held in May not April and will also have a couple of other components thrown into the fray. It should be interesting to see how it shapes up over the coming months. I am looking forward to the next planning/organizing meeting and also some of the Swim/bike/run workshops that are going to be conducted in the New Year.
I will have to work out extra hard tomorrow to make up for today's miss. Not to mention the fact that friend Ross gave me a call to let me know he is running now and did a 5km (almost) If that’s not a push for me I don't know what is. (Can’t let Ross win :)
Exercise
None
Diet
Breakfast
Cereal skim milk
Snack
None
Lunch
Mr. Noodle Soup
Snack
None
Dinner
Taco's
Snack
Christmas Cookies (Its like Halloween all over again ahhhh)

It happens about this time of year, every year, like clockwork. I think its because there is so much focus on family and tradition. Or it could be because of the Wind River Sweatshirts she got everyone, that last Christmas we were all together. It still hangs in my closet as a silent reminder of Christmas past. Its strange how we go through life taking things for granted like the pennies in our pockets. Who cares where they go or if we loose a few along the way there will always be more, wont there? I can still remember the Trifle she use to make every year for Christmas dinner, how there use to be the heady aroma of rum in it until she stopped drinking. The tree with ancient ornaments hanging from the branches. Or the handmade ones she would give us every year for our own tree. I can't help but be bewildered at how fast our annual meeting place vanished. Its like she took it with her. Now we all go our separate ways, begin our own new traditions, spend more time being fathers, husbands, friends and no more time being sons. I can't help but take comfort in the thought I can teach my children not to take for granted the pennies in their pockets.

I have decided on the events that I will run this year. (Other than the YMCA)
The first one is a short Triathlon, which should be a good warm up for the second one.
Its the Milton Try a Tri held on June 1st, 2004 "Try-A-Tri - Swim 375m, Bike 10km, Run 2.5km"
I can do these distances now so I may even bump up to the " Triathlon -Swim 750m, Bike 30km, Run 7.5km"
I don't have to decide until the end of Feb so I'm going to wait until I can run the 7.5km with out any problem.
The second event will be a far greater challenge because it is a half Ironman
Peterborough Triathlon & Duathlon "Ironman Canada Qualifier!" Held on July 1st
½ Ironman Triathlon - Swim 2km, Bike 90km, Run 21km
I've got a lot of work to do if I’m going to be ready for this one. I want this one to be my first long event because its the city I grew up in. I can swim 2km now and I could probably ride the 90km but the 21km run will be a real test for me.
This event also has "20 Subaru Ironman Canada Qualifying Spots" for BC. (Dare to dream haha) There will be some hard core pro's at this one. (Elite Prize Money - $1,000)
Anyway there it is.
I may do a third depending on how the first 2 go.
Exercise
Bike 30 minutes (I only went 8 miles but I cranked up the resistance a couple of notches)
Run 5km (i did wind sprints for the last km, it felt good to go fast but it was hard cornering on the small YMCA track)
Weights (I had to shorten my program again because I was running out of time.)
Diet
Breakfast
Corn Flakes, Skim milk, Coffee
Snack
2 Cookies
Lunch
V8
Snack
V8
Dinner
Noodle Soup
snack
5 Cookies

Santa Picks GREG NORMAN ESTATES Limestone Coast SHIRAZ 2000

Last Saturday night we had our first annual wine tasting party. I think the event was inspired partly because we have made our own wine 2 years in a row and we wanted a reason to make our friends drink it and partly because we haven't had a party in a while and it seemed like a good idea. I printed up a lot of invitations because the date of the event was so close to Christmas I though we would get a lot of "sorry we can't make it because of....." . Which is totally understandable as it is a very busy time of year. Half of the invitations requested the guest bring a bottle of Shiraz and the other half Chardonnay (that’s what we made this year). I bought a bunch of not bad wineglasses at Home Outfitters (12 for $9.99) and a “glass pen” from the “WineKitz” stores (a pen that writes on glass not a pen made of glass). Instead of using wine charms we wrote everyone’s name on their glass and they got to take it home with them as a gift. We ended up with about a dozen guests, 5 bottles of red and 8 bottles of white.
I handed out notepads and pencils and wrapped each bottle in a brown paper bag and numbered them.
All that was left to do was to drink:) First off, the wine we made sucked. It's not something I was aware of until I compared it to good wines of the same variety. I think hope its because its only a few weeks old young. We ended up trying the Shiraz first and then moved on to the Chardonnay. Amongst the red there was no stand out winner but 2 bottles seemed tied for 1st and 2nd with everyone seeming to like one or the other. They were Greg Norman Estates Limestone Coast Shiraz 2000 and Riddoch Coonawarra Shiraz 2000
Amongst the whites there was no clear-cut winner and it was quite obvious that our tasters taste buds were becoming impaired. It turned out that bottles 1 & 2 were the same wine:) and by the time our tasters got to bottle #8 it was a nice white blur. (Next year I think I will just pick one type of wine) The food was simple yet fun with lots of different types of cheese, crackers, lots of berries, Christmas tangerines, pecans, cookies, veggies, chicken wings, Prochuto and pate. I think a good time was had by all and I'm looking forward to the 2nd annual wine tasting party. I highly recommend an event like this to anyone who enjoys wine. Cheers!

I neglected to make entries for Sat and Sun
Saturday
Exercise
Swim 1000 Meters
DietBreakfast
Toast with Peanut Butter
Lunch
Soup
Dinner
Lots of finger foods (we had a wine tasting party)

Sunday
Exercise
Rest day (ahh the bliss 48 hours to recoup)
Diet
Breakfast
Coffee
left over finger foods (wine tasting party leftovers from night before)
grazed all day on this stuff
(veggies and dip, pate, crackers, cheeses, oranges, pecans)
Dinner
hot dog and Christmas cookies
(my wife baked here cookies for the Christmas Cookie swap she goes to every year)
Snack
Canned Pasta and toast.

A second meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday Dec 9 at 1:30 pm to
Discuss the proposed activities for the Annual Campaign fitness aspects.
Should be interesting.
I also had my first action item
- Rick to provide forward a breakdown of proposed revenues to Lisa
My abbreviated response
If all the predictions above held true that would gross a grand total of
$83,000.00 not bad for a quick dip, a ride and a walk;)
Let me know if you need anything else
Have a great day
Rick

Last night I wrote about a cool web site and gave a summary of an article about swimming written by Ian Murrray.
After surfing around a bit more I discovered that Ian has a blog (no recent entries though) and an email address.
so I wrote him, and he replied later on.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick MacCormack [mailto:rick@availablenics.com]
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 5:12 AM
To: ian@acmecoaching.com
Subject: Did you get the "Vodka Man"?
Hi Ian
Just read your blog and I noticed you stopped writing.
Did you ever find out who the "Vodka Man" is/was?
I really enjoy your insight into the sport and have found it very helpful. I Love this article "Life With Water"
I'm a 39 year old X smoker/couch potato who decided last Sept to train for an IronMan in Aug 2005
I have been journaling my training in my own blog ( http://sohosad.blogware.com )
anyway, thanks for the tips and info.
Rick MacCormack
(Small Office Home Office Stay Athome Dad)

Rick,
Thanks for the kind words and for directing me to your sight. I do need to fire up my blog again and I'm sure I will soon. My wife moved about three miles from our old home and in the rush of the move I recycled every vodka bottle that I saved. I regret it as now when I ride by I still see a bag/bottle that the guy has dropped near the storm drain, we'll think of something.
Congratulations on choosing an IM for your goal. I'm sure you'll do very well and your family will be proud of you. It's an event that shouldn't be "raced", you should spend the entire day trying to save energy and power for the last 10 miles of the run. If you approach it like that you'll have a great day.
All the best, Ian

Too Cool or what!
Exercise
Today was a professional development day for the teachers so all the kids had the day off of school
so I had to shorten my program a bit.
Bike 15 minutes
Run 3 KM
Weights only 1/2 of my program
I never seem to mention stretching but I always stretch for about 10 minutes after my run.
Diet
Breakfast
Toast with peanut butter, Coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Noodle soup
Snack
Chips and salami
Dinner
2 grilled cheese sandwiches and mushroom soup, pickle
Snack
Popcorn

The other night I came across a great web site with tons of interesting articles about triathlons. One in particular about swimming by Ian Murray waswill be very useful in the future. (I need to practice more)
It caught my attention right away because of the opening statement

"I didn't learn how to swim until 1997. I was 29 years old."

The piece continues on and talks about defining moments in Ian's swimming journey.

"In every good athlete's past are certain names, specific times or big milestones that mark development."

Some of these "milestones" made so much sense I have adopted them. Like making your body as long as possible in the water, lengthening your stroke as much as possible and using your hips to help corkscrew your kicking motion for extra power. Even though today was the first attempt at applying these new lessons I feel that they will be with me for all my future swims.

"Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight" ~Ian Murray~

Exercise
2000 meter swim
(4 sets of as fast as I could go 500 meters, with 60 seconds of rest in between sets)
Swimming is great for stretching out the leg muscles after the run.
Diet
Breakfast
Toast with homemade Jam, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Leftover Thai from last night
Snack
V8
Dinner
Pizza and the rest of the Thai.
Snack
Nacho chips with salsa.
(it sure is hard to reduce food intake with all this exercise, I'm always sooo hungry!)
No weight loss since the 5 pound drop to 210 :(

Today’s workout was the same as Mondays. I am enjoying the slow gradual progress that running brings. I don't get winded until almost 3Km now. It bizarre how quickly your body adapts to stress (good or bad)
The transition from bike to run is far less uncomfortable than it was the first time I tried it.
Exercise
21 km Bike (shaved 2 and 1/2 minutes time off my ride from Monday, Thanks Ross)
5 km run (I need another week before I push my distance, I hate counting laps)
Weights
Diet
Breakfast
Bran flakes, skim milk
Snack
Grapefruit Juice
Poweraid
Lunch
V8
Snack
Orange
Dinner
Spicy Thai vegetables with pork and rice noodles
Snack
Pudding cup and Bran flakes, skim milk, banana.

~Abdul Rahman Khadr~
Abdul was a suspected terrorist who was released from Guantanamo Bay and dropped off in Afghanistan.
"19 terrorists in 6 weeks have been able to command 300 million North Americans to do away with the entirety of their civil liberties that took 700 years to advance from the Magna Carta onward. The terrorists have already won the political and ideological war with one terrorist act. It is mindboggling that we are that weak as a society."
~Rocco Galati~
Mr. Galati is a well-publicized Civil rights lawyer as well as a lawyer for the Canadian Islamic Congress who recently took on Abdul Rahman Khadr as a client. Abdul was a suspected terrorist who was released from Guantanamo Bay and dropped off in Afghanistan. I watched the press conference he (Abdul Rahman Khadr) conducted. He seemed to be upset with the Canadian govt. for not doing more to secure his release and protect his rights as a Canadian Citizen. I believe he wanted a public inquiry into the injustice done to him. He also called for his younger brothers’ release from Gitmo.

Omar, Mr. Khadr's 17-year-old brother, remains locked up in Cuba, where he is a juvenile suspected of killing a U.S. soldier during a fierce battle in Afghanistan last year.

First off I need to comment on Mr. Galati's quote at the top of this post in particular this part

"19 terrorists in 6 weeks have been able to command 300 million North Americans to do away with the entirety of their civil liberties"

This statement is nothing more than an exaggeration of the truth for Mr. Galati's own agenda.
I will admit that some of the civil liberties once enjoyed by North Americans no longer exist to the same extent. But if we are going to preserve our way of life and our values as a free democratic society we must adapt to the threat posed by outside agencies who's only goal seems to destroy what "took 700 years to advance from the Magna Carta onward". As Mr. Galati has so effectively demonstrated in the above quote, it is a weak mind that finds flaws in current solutions and rallies the people around the negative. But societies true leaders make the tough decisions and strive to find solutions to problems.

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson -

I also feel the need to comment on Abdul Rahman Khadr's Canadian Citizenship. In the press conference he told reporters that his family would come to Canada during the Christmas season to raise moneys for educating women in Afghanistan. (His father was a Taliban) He Lived in Afghanistan most of his life by choice and only attended school here on 2 occasions. He attended an al-Qaeda type training camp. His younger brother (who he pleaded for his release) was arrested after a firefight with US marines.
I personally love the fact I am a Canadian. I love the fact that Canadians in general are understanding caring people who for the most part are non-confrontational and more often than not willing to turn the other cheek.
I do not agree with the fact that there are over 700 people being held in Cuba without any legal representation.
I hate the fact that our Government has done a less than stellar job in protecting Canadian Nationals.
But Abdul is a 20 year old man, even at the tender age of 15 I knew right from wrong and what sucked and what did not. I knew if my buddies were shoplifting from stores and I hung around with them I could would be found guilty by association if they were caught. I have very little sympathy for Abdul's plight.
He seems to think Canadian Citizenship is some kind of right this country owes him. "If it serves my purposes and I make poor choices I will be a Canadian for today". I just hope he remembers (but I doubt it) that it was Canada that brought his sorry ass back to "Our home and native land" when he was without hope, food, friends and money.

When I'm exercising now and I start to hurt I think of Julie Moss.

ABC's broadcasts in 1980 and 1981 continued to generate interest from athletes, but Ironman's signature moment came the following year in surprising fashion.

With the men's championship already claimed, ABC's cameras zeroed in on women's leader Julie Moss. A college student from San Diego, Moss' lifeguard background helped her stay among the early women's leaders. After a strong bike, she found herself with a big lead in the run. But her energy levels started to dip in the last five miles and another San Diego competitor, Kathleen McCartney, began to cut into Moss' lead.

The red-headed Moss managed to hang on, sometimes appearing like a punch-drunk fighter as she moved steadfastly toward the finish line. But with a little more than 20 yards to go, her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground. She attempted to get up, but her legs wouldn't hold her. Rather than give up, she crawled. Although McCartney passed her, Moss won the hearts of those on hand and millions who later saw her determined effort on television. ABC's Jim McKay, among the most experienced sports broadcasters in history, called it the most inspiring sports moment he had ever witnessed.

"Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight"

Today I met with the CEO and the fundraising director of the YMCA regarding the triathlon proposal. I suppose it went OK but the fitness director was not in attendance because she was sick. It was explained to me that the fitness event was just a part of the fundraising program. Her plan had a $100 000 fundraising target. This would be achieved through donations by board members, staff, volunteers, members and corporate sponsorship. She figured that the fitness event would account for aprox. 5% of the total dollars raised. She also expressed a concern that a "triathlon" may "scare" people away and they may not participate because of the perceived fitness level one would need to complete a "triathlon" I proceeded to paint a picture of an event called the "Y-Tri" (why try)
with a target of 250 participants each paying $25 to participate in the event and each one completing a total of 26km's of distance (swim 1k, ride 20k, run 5k) where each athlete would collect an average of $10/km sponsorship pledges. 26km X $10 X 250 = $65 000 plus an additional $5 000 in participation fees for a total of $70 grand. I also explained that the participants could wear a lifejacket for the swim, take a slow easy bike ride with a break in the middle and walk the 5k if they wanted. Corporate Teams could also be organized to raise additional funds. (Like team TUCOWS;) I'm not sure if I convinced her, I think my biggest hurdle will be the fitness director.
I don't think they realize that this volunteer comes with the event I suggested, not some watered down sissy version.
I guess that makes me a “selfunteer” = Selfish volunteer.:)

Exercise
Swim 1050 meters (I'm going to focus on working up to 5000 meters - 5000 Meters equals 3.10686 Miles. This will put me in good shape to do a 2.6 mile open water swim this summer.)
Diet
Breakfast
Coffee (argh, I hate when I miss breakfast)
Snack
None
Lunch
Mushroom soup, tuna salad sandwich
Snack
V8
Dinner
Chicken nuggets, vegetables, perogies with sour cream, V8
Snack
Large salad, chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato and mayo, 2 cookies, Ice cream
PS This is the second time I typed this post in, The first time I accidentally closed my browser :0

Today was a stellar day at the gym and I am exhausted. But I now know I can complete the Sprint. I am going to focus on Endurance and strength until the end of January at least. I have my meeting with the "Y" tomorrow, they sent me an agenda and are calling my triathlon idea a "Indoor Mini Sport Event" But I’m still optimistic that I can pull it off.

Exercise
21Km Bike
5Km run
Weights - I changed my program and stopped using the hydraulic aided weight machines It’s a lot harder but I think better in the long run.

Diet
Breakfast
Bran flakes, Skim milk, Coffee
Snack
Power Aid
Lunch
None
Snack
None
Dinner
Huge plate of pasta and a large salad
Snack
More pasta, an orange and popcorn. (Never skip meals if you can help it)

Once, sometimes twice a year, my sons judo club has a tournament. Tonight was just such a night. The club is broken into 2 classes (beginner and intermediate) but for the tournament all the kids show up at the designated time. They are then split up into weight groups (actually by height) which consist of about 4 kids in each group. The matches are carried out within the groups and prizes are handed out for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place. The purpose of the event is to have fun and teach the kids about tournament rules and sportsmanship. For the most part I enjoy myself and my son usually does quite well tonight being no exception, 1st place. (He has been going for 3 years now and has seniority on most of the other children). I did however notice two things that bothered me.
First there was the 4th place boy in my sons group, who has come a long way since he began taking the classes and tried very hard but received no recognition for his efforts. I know everyone can't win. But these are not the Olympics and were dealing with 7 year olds here. I have to wonder how much extra it would have cost the club to provide a 4th place ribbon? I think this would have meant a lot to the boys self esteem. Secondly I could not help but notice how the majority of kids had learned very little in regards to technique. The boy I mentioned lost all his matches the exact same way and almost all the children attempted the same throw over and over again, poorly I might add. I have to wonder if the instructors were/are aware of this?

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
~ John Cotton Dana ~
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
~ William A. Ward ~