Alberta Votes 2012

I have to vote today I get to vote today in the Alberta provincial election which in many ways is has a more profound effect on my day-to-day life than the federal government has. The same political party, the Progressive Conservatives, have held power in Alberta since before I was born. For that reason, change is in the air (even among the PCs with their new leader) and a multitude of parties are voicing their "new ideas" in hopes of being elected to the legislative assembly.

My greatest disappointment has been that there wasn't a public forum where I could see the seven candidates for my riding debate and answer questions. Lots of flyers and lawn signs, but not much by way of substance. I had 2 people come to the door, one from the upstart right wing Wild Rose Party and one from the Alberta Liberals.

So, I have to base my vote on party policy and since I've been so busy this month I haven't had a chance to really analyze the platforms. In yesterday's Calgary Herald, a full page comparison chart of the 4 major parties presented each party's stance on Business/Industry, Social Supports, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Health, Justice, and Seniors. After spending a little time this morning comparing the "new ideas" and policies, I assigned a grade to each of these parties: PC, WR, AL, NDP. I will comment briefly on some of the policies that either impress or repel me.

Business/Industry: I like the NDP's focus on small business and on pushing for more upgrades to the oil industry so I give them an A. Wild Rose ignores small business and gives more freedom to industry, so I give them a C.

Social Supports: PCs get an A for focusing their efforts on the severely handicapped and homeless. Libs and NDPs get Cs for only looking at preschool childcare services (I'm more interested in keeping them home than farming them out).

Education: PCs and Wild Rose get A's for different reasons: PCs for pumping more money into the system, Wild Rose for giving more freedom to school boards. Liberals get a C for wanting to end funding of private schools, wanting to buy teacher votes for $500, and wanting to introduce free tuition for post-sec.

Energy: NDP gets an A for its focus on consumer protection and enforcing stable energy prices. PCs get a B- for failing to do so.

Environment: An A for the NDP for water protection legislation and dropping the carbon capture project in favour of more effective projects (Wild Rose is commended on this too). Everyone else gets a B. Note that the Evergreen Party wasn't featured in the grid, so I can't comment on their policy.

Finance: A's for Libs and NDP for marginally raising taxes (ensuring more stable gov't revenue and thereby ensuring more stable funding for programs). Wild Rose and PCs have decent plans, but they get Bs for the energy dividend and results-based budgeting.

Health: Again, Libs and NDP each get an A for protecting the public health care system and reducing drug costs. Wild Rose and PCs get Bs because their plans are short sighted.

Justice: I like that WR and Libs want to repeal the recent impaired driving legislation (it's ridiculous and unenforceable).

Seniors: Everyone wants to add funding to senior care, great! Wild Rose doesn't have a plan. PCs want seniors to pay their property taxes with home equity loans - that's awful! Libs and NDP get A's for going to the core issues of the problem.

I grade each party as follows:

• Progressive Conservatives: B
• Wild Rose: B-
• Liberals: B+
• New Democrats: A-

When I did the Vote Compass on CBC, I landed square between the Liberals and NDP. I guess I know who to vote for now! Except that I might vote strategically... Ack!

Treats from Guatemala

When my school's short term mission group returned from Tactic, Guatemala a couple weeks ago, they transported some gifts sent by very special friends. It's amazing how taste and smell can transport one so intensely to distant memories.

In our package, we got chirrepeco tea (grown locally), some horchata drink powder (Tang brand), Tortix lime flavoured corn chips (everything is flavoured lime in Central America), a brick of chocolate to make hot chocolate Guatemalan style, and then my vice-principal gave me a couple pounds of Dieseldorff coffee from Cobán - sooooo goooood.

Thanks!!

Page 3 in the Calgary Herald

I was interviewed along with 4 cohousing friends by the Calgary Herald 3 days ago. The feature article ran in today's (Sunday, April 22) paper. I think she did a fine job representing our project and values.

You can read the article online here or if the link dies, on the Dragonfly Cohousing blog.

Picnic in Bowmont Park

Yesterday, during my 32 km run, I passed through the Bowmont Park Natural Area. The multitude of crocuses, the panoramic view of the Bow River and the Rockies, and the recent arrival of warm weather prompted me to get my family out for a picnic after church.



Amber prepared some yummy vittles and we parked our car on the south end of Silver Springs and walked by cyclists, runners, and walkers to a bench on a bluff.



We were still in church clothes, but the kids still followed the winding paths that cut through the prairie grass, crocuses and brush.



I usually tease Amber about the number of photos she takes of crocuses every spring. This time, I couldn't resist.

Marathon Training: Day 93/118

On training day #76 I ran 25 km, my furthest distance yet. I was limping afterwards, but since I've been sore before, I didn't think much of it. The following morning I couldn't put any weight on my left leg and my left knee was tremendously sore. I came downstairs on my butt and parked my butt on the couch. The fear of not being able to run the marathon came upon me and I started to accept the fact that I had injured myself. However, after a morning on the couch with my left knee elevated and covered in a bag of frozen peas, I was able to hobble around a little.

I babied my knee for 4 days and didn't run for 8 days making sure that my ligaments, joints, and tendons had time to be restored. Then I went for a 12 km run (pictured above) and felt great! No soreness whatsoever. After chatting with some other runners, I have decided to ease my training to just 3 runs a week which would give my body lots of recuperation time. I'm learning to listen to my body.


View Larger Map

After a couple great runs last week, I decided to run the Calgary Bow River Valley Trail with my visiting sister, a fellow running trainee. She ran 16 km. I ran 24 km (see map above). We parked at Edworthy Park in the west and ran east. I ran 12 km to Deerfoot Trail and turned around. It was terribly frosty at the start so I ran with leggings and a light jacket. I was amazed at how little I sweat because of the coolness of the air, but I was even more amazed at how I felt like I could have gone on when I had reached Edworthy Park again. Because I didn't sweat, I barely touched all the electrolyte drink I carried. The sights along the path, notably the Bow River, Calgary Zoo, and Downtown, made the run far less weary than a treadmill, so I'm quite certain I'll complete my last three long runs down there. My next long run, the longest prior to the marathon, will be 32 kms. I'm thinking the 3 hours+ run might take me to Fish Creek Park (one of the largest city parks in the world - and one I have yet to visit).

I stopped by The Running Room last week and picked up a Fuel Belt with four pouches the I can use to carry my salt/lemon/honey concoction. I also purchased two energy gels to try. The last time I tried these was on my bike trip and they were horrible. The two I got, Honey Stingers, were great though - all natural stuff and basically it's honey. Who doesn't like sucking on honey, especially while running!! Each little packet gives you 120 calories. Since I'm burning 800-900 calories every 10 kms, I'll need a about 3 of these on race day.

Yesterday, I did some cross-training. It was my last day of spring break and I felt I should make the most of it.


View Larger Map

Today, I decided to do some hill training after school. My mom left her car at our place, so I drove it down to Bowness, then ran home. Amber drove me back after supper so I could pick it up. I climbed 175 m over a 9.4 km run making it about a 2% grade total, but half the run was flat, so the pitch was closer to 4% when I was running uphill. Since I didn't feel stressed at all during this 60 minute run, I figure I had better find a better hill. Cochrane has a nice one, about 5% for 4 kms ... maybe do that up and down and up and down next week.

I've decided that I will not listen to music on my ipod during the marathon. I want the raw experience. Plus, there are bands and cheering groups along the course and it's safer to have all my senses fully aware of my surroundings. I'll continue to train with it, but I ran without today and it was just fine.

If you asked me 3 weeks ago how I felt about the marathon, I would have bitterly replied that it was the worst goal on my list. Ask me today and I am much more positive. I feel great. I've lost 15 unneeded lbs. I enjoy the less frequent, but high quality runs and I greatly anticipate the day of the marathon.

Finally, a little bit of the agony. I popped this lovely blister about 3 weeks ago. (sorry for the picture DB)

1. sterilize needle
2. sterilize blister
3. lance blister and thoroughly drain onto tissue paper
4. apply polysporin to popped blister
5. wrap a band-aid around toe for 2 days

36 today

... after 11 long years, I'm finally a square again.

CPO with Blaise

I took Blaise to his first orchestral performance a couple weeks ago. It was an earlier and shorter performance, a part of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's Rush Hour Series, so it worked well for a young lad.

I had to get there early as the parking was about 4 blocks from the Jack Singer Hall and Blaise would have to walk the distance. Once we found our seats - close to the rear, but right in the centre - we figured it would be a good idea to go use the bathrooms before the concert began after I explained Blaise how moving around and talking was not allowed while the orchestra played.

I propped Blaise up on our stack of jackets as people moved into the seats in front of us, but it still didn't give him the view he wanted. Blaise accepted my offer to sit on my knee and that's where he stayed for most of the concert.

The concert was entitled The Red Violin, a title from the film by the same name. The composer of this suite is an American and so they designed the concert as one from American composers:

• Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man 
• Kernis:  Too Hot Toccata
• Corigliano:  Suite from The Red Violin
• Bernstein:  Three Dance Episodes from On the Town 

Donovan Seidle, a local violinist/composer, was the soloist for The Red Violin and as an encore, he played some ridiculously fast piece that blew Blaise away. I thought Copland's trumpets or Bernstein's English horn or Kernis's double basses would be Blaise's favorites. Instead, the violin captivated him as you can see from his journal entry the next day:

Marathon Training: Day 61/118

Ah! My knees!!

It was a little surreal running by myself for 2 hours (exactly) on treadmill today, alone in a gym. When I reached 21 km at 1:57:13 I just raised my arms for about 3 seconds and then ran the last half km. I did let out a feeble "woo!" too. No celebration, just a 6 minute cool down and then 12 minutes of stretches as I chugged water. I was sipping my electrolyte concoction every 10 minutes during the run, and boy, did that make me thirsty.

I got home after 6 pm and just wanted to sleep. I lay down for 30 minutes then came down to visit with my family. Amber fed me some delicious pasta with chicken and a salad. I took an Advil and iced my knees (they are feeling somewhat better now).

I forgot to mention my weight loss in my last post too. So far, I've burned 11 lbs or so. Easily understood since on today's run alone I burned 1800 calories.

Marathon Training: Day 60/118

Oof. It's been a while since I last updated my blog on my marathon training. Guess why? I've been so tired from running.

Tomorrow I will run 21.5 km and I will try and do it in 2 hours. This is just over a half marathon and 3 km more than I ran last Friday (18.5 km in 1:42)and 5 km more than I ran the Friday before that. How will I feel after the run? Hopefully like I felt last Friday: a little exhilerated and very tired. Hopefully not like 2 Fridays ago after running the 16.5 km (1:31): very nauseated and very tired (after this run I chaperoned a high school banquet and wanted to eat a plate covered in 4 pastas and 4 sauces so badly, but I couldn't because I was so sick). I have found a solution though (I think) - it's below.

After speaking with my sister Salomé on the phone about that bad run, she gave me some rather vital info. Since I'm running on a treadmill, I should be running with an elevation level of 2.0 since it's so much easier than running on the road (which I can't do because of all the ice and snow). She also advised me to do "toe taps," 80 of them each day to strengthen my shins (which have been aching quite a bit).

So the reason I got sick during the 16.5 km, I presume, is the loss of electrolytes. To resolve the issue, I looked up some recipes so I don't have to drink Gatorade. A squeeze of lemon, a pinch of potassium chloride (weird salt), a pinch of kosher salt (sodium chloride), a teaspoon of honey and lots of water. If I sip this every 10 minutes, it keeps the nausea at bay and really keeps me alert. I still follow long runs with some blended berries mixed with whey powder and water to energize.

Sadly, I missed my first 2 days of training. Not because I couldn't do it, but because I willfully chose not to. I missed a 5.5 km run and 60 minutes of cross-training/weight training. I've made up 1 of those kms already, but then a couple days ago I quit a 12 km "quality" run 1 km early at 11 km. This quality run I did on Tuesday was a Yasso 800: "six 800 m 'sprints' with 400m recovery jogs." My sprints were between 13.2-5 km/hr and I was just ill afterwards. So ill that I don't recall drinking my electrolyte drink - maybe I should have...

I've begun to compile a list of supplies I will need for the marathon on May 6:

• vaseline for my lips - they get right dry
• electrolyte drinks in small containers strapped to me
• energy drinks in small containers strapped to me
• 2 ibuprofen tablets (one for before the race, one for 2 hours in)
• a sweat/headband so my eyes don't sting from the sweat
• running shoes, socks, shorts, shirt
• iPod and earbuds (still not sure on this one)

World Premiere of "For What it's Worth, Milk a Goat"

What a great evening! We had 37 people come out the evening of March 3rd to the world premiere of my second feature length documentary. People from various parts of my life (long time friends, cohousing, church, work) and a few strangers who came with some friends filled the seats at 7 pm. Blaise and Acadia came too, watching the movie from a blanket on the floor in front of the first row.



I introduced the film upstairs at the West Hillhurst Community Association before clicking play and turning out the lights. Then, sitting with my own anxious thoughts, Amber joined me and I was able to relax a bit and enjoy the movie. More so, I was able to enjoy watching and hearing others watch the movie. The audience laughed consistently at all the parts I thought were funny, and then some.

Before and after the film, the audience enjoyed some snacks we provided (goat cheeses with baguette, liquorice, M&Ms, veggies, Jones Sodas). I had to veto Amber's wish to provide potato chips. Chips!! at a movie!!

After the 72 minutes were up, the audience generated some good applause. I conducted a Q & A with them and got some great affirmative feedback saying I captured many of the aspects really well. I had anticipated most of the questions: What happened to the goats after you left Guatemala? What is your next film project? What life goals are you working at now? What were you doing in Guatemala? Will I ever keep goats again? There were some more unexpected ones: Tell us your thoughts on pasteurization. How much milk could a goat produce? The supportive and complimentary feedback was really nice to hear from everyone. I recognize that, yes, they are my friends, but I can tell feigned enthusiasm and it wasn't feigned. And really, that makes it worth producing the film.



The best part though, from my seat, I could watch Blaise and Acadia's response to the movie. They laughed with everyone else and sat mesmerized by the goats the entire time. I'm proud of them for staying up 2 hours past their bedtime to share the evening with us. Acadia's thankful words this morning: "Thanks that we got to stay up late last night."

What to do with the film now? Several people have told me they are interested in a downloadable version and so I'll look into that. I may organize a couple more informal viewings here in Calgary or send the film to friends who want to screen it for others. I'm pretty open to whatever.

Last night has injected some filmmaking life into me. After having "For What it's Worth" rejected at all 6 festivals it was submitted to and having no time to dedicate to my current projects, I've mentally just abandoned my film production aspirations. After watching the film again and enjoying the viewers' positive reaction, I'm more hopeful of producing more movies in the future.

Finally, to everyone who contributed to the film as characters, camera operators, as the narration recorder (Angus) and as the soundtrack composer/performer (Justin): Thank you!

Saga: Man vs. Toilet

November: Amber alerted me to a pool of water in our family bathroom (we have 1 1/2 other bathrooms). The leak appeared to come from the toilet and it was a substantial pool of water, so action had to be taken. Amber mopped up the water and I turned off the water supply. Not wanting to put my family on the street, I decided against calling a plumber and chose to take a look at the toilet during the Christmas break - we have 2 other toilets after all.

December: With time on my hands, I watch YouTube videos demonstrating how to dismantle a toilet safely and what parts are typically the cause of a leak. I figure I will be able to spot the broken parts if I take the throne apart first before heading to Rona to buy the replacement parts. I get all the water out of the bowl. I catch the bit of water from the tank as I unhook it. I place the tank on the ground, unbolt the bowl and lay it on the ground too. Disturbing the bowl means I have to replace the wax ring at the base - now a disgusting black sticky mass. I figure this is likely the cause of the leak anyhow... I note the rubber washers holding the tank to the bowl seem a bit iffy too, so I decide to replace them too.

Returning from Rona with new parts in hand, Blaise assists me in reassembling the can. With the water supply reconnected, I flush triumphantly!

Amber informs me of the pool of water by the toilet a few hours later. She mops it up. I shut off the water.

January: It seems clear to me that, as I am still an amateur plumber, I must not have put the wax seal on properly. I inspect the toilet carefully to see if I can spot any other issues. None spotted. I pick up another wax ring, dismantle the entire toilet and swap the recently replaced with an even newer wax ring. After reassembly, I flush and water gushes from the middle of the toilet. Clearly, I've made a mistake in reassembly. I clean up the mess this time. Take the tank off and find that the spongy ring the tank sits on has probably seen better days. I pick up a new one, certain that victory is at hand. Now you can tell by the number of paragraphs that follow that I did not cure the ailment. Water doesn't gush now, but hours later, the telltale pool of water reappears. I mop up and shut off. I need time to think.



A week later I decide that the leak needs to be traced. The pool of water is always in the same place because it is a low spot on the bathroom floor. But where is the water coming from? I choose to set up a timelapse. I sprinkle green Kool-Aid crystals on the ground, put my laptop on the counter, setup my tripod and camera so it can see much of the floor around the toilet, turn on the water and flush. I return a few hours later... nothing. It's toying with me. I know there's a leak, but it's not manifesting itself for me. I flush again.



This time a green line appears along the right bottom rim (as you can see in the YouTube clip below) and spreads like a plague to where the water traditionally pooled. Aha! I've caught it on film. But this doesn't tell me anything I don't know. Water could be dripping off the tank, rolling down the bowl, flowing to this side of the toilet edge before it touches any Kool-Aid. I'm foiled again.




February: Having taken a few weeks to cool down, I am ready to re-engage the monkey on my back: "Hello toilet. You have a purpose. I want to help you fulfill your purpose. Let's work together so I can get on with living." I take a more tactile approach. I turn on the water, flush. Flush again. Then I hug the toilet, touch every washer, bolt, and cool curve. Something is amiss where the water supply connects to the tank. There is moisture. I check a few minutes later and sure enough, there is a water drop. Victory will be mine. I have hope, mingled with doubt based on my previous defeats, but light is shining on this scourge now and I can move forward.

I decide a simple tightening will solve it. I haul out my big plumbers wrench and tighten the nylon bolt, dry the area and wait. Wet again. Hmm. How about more tightening? Worth a try, so I repeat. No success. Well, I may as well look at replacing that part. Another trip to Rona reveals that the components to this piece are not sold separately. Everything up to this point has only cost between $1 and $3. Replacing the ballcock (I know, right?) will cost $18. I'd like to find an alternative solution. I try teflon. It fails. Water is leaking out of the tank through a rubber washer, so maybe if I put a rubber washer underneath and not just above? The guys at Rona tell me that I should just use plumbers grease and stop-leak putty. I buy the putty as I have grease at home. After a big mess and a sad realization that the guys at Rona may not know what they are talking about, I give in. During the frenzied experiments, I ask Amber to help me move the shelf from behind the toilet. As we lift it, it jostles the ceramic lid of the tank, and crack, the corner breaks off. I need to buy some contact cement next time I'm in Rona. I walk into Rona to find a dual-flush toilet on sale for $130. While I'm tempted, I resist the temptation since I would have to find a way to rid myself of my current toilet. I return to the familiar "Sinks / Toilets / Showers / Bathtubs aisle and fetch a ballcock. A quick install later, some flushing tests, check-ins every hour for 6 hours and VOILÀ! Mission accomplished. Toilet loses.

Astrological Surprises

A little over a week ago at a cohousing general meeting, Amber led an activity just to break up the policy discussions. She began by dividing us up by our birthday months - Jan/Feb here, Mar/Apr there, etc... As I joined my March/April groupies, I was shocked at the exclamations of "Oh, are you a Taurus or an Aries?" and "I figured you were an Aries" and "Can you believe I married a Scorpio?" These are professionals all of which have had post-secondary education and yet here they were excitedly divulging their belief in the Zodiac.

By the way, I'm a Pisces. According to astrology.com, today:

 "You’re thinking quite a bit about your future and how things are going, so see if you can get yourself into a quiet corner where you can ponder what comes next. Things are looking up!"

but if I were a Sagittarius:

"Your mind is sharp today, and you should be able to figure out even the weirdest ideas today. Apply yourself to the hard stuff, as you never know when your mental energy is going to wane."

or if I were an Aries:

"You should find that people are easier to get along with today, thanks to some great energy that brings you closer together socially. It’s a good time to build bridges and to check in with distant allies."

None of these counsel morsels are uniquely helpful in anyway. When should I not be thinking about my future or not applying myself or building bridges? What's worse is that they are so self-focused, all about me succeeding and little regard for the other or growing through suffering. Success is defined by good days and bad days.

Seven Epic Journeys [I'd like to make]

Appalachian Trail, USA (on foot)

I've been planning to do this 6 month hike with my son as his rite of passage into manhood since before he was born. I will have to take a spring semester off in 2018, fly Blaise and myself out to Georgia and start walking north 3,507 km along the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains through 14 eastern states. It will certainly be epic.

St. Petersburg, Russia to Istanbul, Turkey to La Rochelle, France (by train)

In this doubly-trans-European train journey, I would explore both the great capitals and some small villages of Eastern Europe. Then make my way from the Bosporus Strait to La Rochelle, France where Louis and Estienne Robichaux set out to settle in Acadia in the mid 17th century. The first leg of the trip would take me through Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and into Turkey. Setting out from Istanbul, I would wind WNW through Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, northern Italy, and along la côte d'azure, through Bordeaux and up to La Rochelle, France.

Western United States of America (by car)

This 10,000 km road trip would take our family through and 10 states and would probably take us 7 weeks to complete. Some highlights:

• Montana: Glacier National Park, American Indian reservations and culture (Blackfoot, Flathead, Salish, Crow) 
• Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park
• Utah: Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City (Mormon Tabernacle, Olympic Centre)
• Colorado: Dinosaur National Monument, Denver (and it's microbrew pubs)
• New Mexico: Los Alamos (to visit the Manhattan project), Carlsbad Caverns, Artesia (to visit my relatives), Albuquerque (and it's tex-mex food)
• Arizona: Grand Canyon
• California: Joshua Tree National Park, San Diego, Los Angeles, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, San Francisco (see friends), Napa Valley (drink wine), 
• Oregon: Forest districts, Portland (visit relatives)
• Washington: Olympic National Park, Seattle, Walla Walla (visit friends)
• Idaho: Moscow (visit friends)

Corners of India (by train)

#11 of my Life Goals is to Ride the Train around India. I would have to somehow define what around India would be, but I think hitting the North, East, South and Western corners of the country would suffice. I would be able to see Mumbai, New Delhi, the cutoff eastern provinces, and the southern tip. The entire trip would be between 10 and 12 thousand kms. I'm told I should ride in 1st class - we'll see what the pocket book says.

Niger River (by river boat)

Beginning at the source of the great Niger River in northwest Africa in Tembakounda, Guinea, I would float northeast into Mali travelling in the rich river basin through the capital city of Bamako and the legendary outpost of Timbuktu. After coming close to the Sahara Desert and maybe even taking a side trip to experience that a bit, I would continue the float south east through Niger (and it's capital Niamey), the board of Benin and into politically unstable Nigeria. The trip would finish in the Niger Delta.

England Coast to Coast (on foot)

A friend of mine, Jon Schmuland, did this 11-15 day hike last year and I followed his journal as he did it. It is surprisingly demanding on the body. The Coast to Coast journey goes through three major natural areas in England: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors. These areas are reminiscent of vet and author James Herriot and the stage for Wuthering Heights (one of my least favourite reads - maybe I'll see Heathcliff's ghost wandering in the moors...).

Circumference of Australia (on motorbike)

Almost 18,000 km on a motorbike. I'm not sure I want to do this, but I could knock two of my life goals off: #12 Motorbike around Australia and #13 Climb Ayer’s Rock (Uluru) (with permission of the aboriginal people of course). My biggest concern: water and fuel. I'd probably need to pull a little trailer with extra supplies which means I'll need a bigger bike which means I'll need to spend more money. I can picture myself cruising along the coast though - I'll have to grow out my hair for this one.

Blaise's First Sleep Over

As part of our motivating of getting our children to stay dry through the night, we told them that they couldn't go on sleep overs until they began staying dry through the night. Over the past month, both of our children have made remarkable progress (and so have Amber and I in our consistency of getting them up in the night to go pee pee) in staying dry (both day and night).

Blaise was quick to point out that now he is able to go on a sleep over. We asked his best buddy's parents if it was OK if Blaise spent the night there and it was cool, so on Saturday afternoon he went to Anton's house. We got him back all in one piece at midday Sunday. By all accounts, he was a good guest and he had fun too.

On the home front, Amber began pining in the early evening about how she missed Blaise. Acadia was put to bed, but was found sitting and crying on her bed an hour later. She missed Blaise.

Nerdvana 2012

Every year for the past six or seven years, my friend Jasen has organized a little board gaming retreat. We spent a couple nights in a hotel in Canmore surrounded by mountains only to sit facing the middle of a table playing board games for two and a half days. Well, I gazed at the mountains a fair bit actually. That and I ate very, very well.



I ended up playing 17 different games, 15 of which were new to me. The people participating were great sports and everyone was patient as they taught the rules to newcomers.

Kingdom Builder is very quick to learn, never the same set up, and can play 2-4 players. I played it 3 times and I could have played it more too. Another great thing is that it is a relatively short game (30 min).
Troyes is a more complex game with lots of variables. I definitely would like to play it again. Plus, I won my first time playing.
Biblios is a deck building game that ends in an auction. Pretty decent and quick game play. Easy to learn.
Takenoko is a quick, easy to learn game that kids can pick up quite quickly. The goal is to feed your panda by cultivating bamboo in different gardenscapes by ensuring they are irrigated and fertilized.
Hawaii is super fun and reminds me quite a bit of Stone Age
Dvonn is a game from the Gipf Project. You have to collect tiles by jumping over tile spaces and claiming your opponents tiles by stacking on top of them. Very neat strategy game and far more advanced than checkers.
Trajan is another multiple component, have to play 3 times to be able to develop a decent strategy board game. I'm sure it's good, but I don't know if I want to invest much time learning it (again).

Paris Connection is fantastic. It's a bit like Airlines Europe, but simpler, faster and with a twist. Each player gets to build their stock in different colours of trains while at the same time building the value of the train lines in France. Of course if a line gets too valuable, everyone wants the stock. I won at this a couple times.
Vanuatu is perhaps my favourite from the weekend because of the stress and competitive rounds. It didn't take too long to learn, but the challenges weren't anticipated making the game very exciting.
Strasbourg was probably my least favourite, but it's because I wasn't anticipating that the game was so short and rigid in the ways to achieve player goals.
Tichu is a great team card game similar to 200 or Rook. The trio I played with were very patient with me and I managed well enough to win and even call "tichu" on my own.
Bits is a tetris/dominoes kind of game where you get points for joining certain colours in certain patterns (the goals are different every time). Quite fun and I totally dominated!

23 is a new card game that is still only available in Europe (we had to look online for the rules since the game only included Germain rules). It's a terrific game of manipulation and gambling - I rocked this one too.
7 Wonders wasn't new to me but I still enjoyed playing with the heroes expansion. Games are short and vary everytime you play which keeps it fesh.
Octopus's Garden
Gipf is one of the Gipf Project games and I have to say that it is quite addictive and very challenging. It's a tile collecting game. I played it a couple times and since the rules are easily understood I was able to immediately engage some strategy and win. Twice.
Can't Stop is a gambling game where you try to make different combinations of numbers with 4 die. You van quit any time and sit with your scores or risk it all with further rolling. Makes for great excitement and also builds math skills. Blaise really enjoyed this one.

And did we eat! For starters, the hotel gave us a deal on the in house restaurant (Chez François) breakfasts which were both delicious and filling. The kids ate the continental breakfast before we sat down to a late breakfast, so they helped Amber with her plate of food.

Our first evening though, we visited Thai Pagoda which is owned and operated by a Belgian chap who loves beer. The beer menu is beautiful as a result. The service was a little slow, but the food was delicious. I was disappointed with the beer I ordered as I found it tasted a bit soapy. I didn't complain since everyone who tasted it said it tasted fine. Next time I'm not fooling around, I'm getting the Young's Double Chocolate Stout.



Saturday night we went to the Korean BBQ Restaurant and oh did we eat! I don't remember all the food we ate, but the hot pot was superb, especially with the added hot sauces and bean sprouts.



Before leaving Canmore on Sunday, we fattened up at La Belle Patate, the premiere poutine eatery west of Québec. Amber and I shared the large smoked meat poutine and didn't even finish it - so much food.

We look forward to Nerdvana 2013!

Mailbox Treat

I found this in my school mailbox. Someone evidently found this in the photocopier and thought the would return it to me.

Marathon Training: Day 27/118

I've run 105 kms now after almost 4 weeks (tomorrow is a scheduled rest day) and yesterday I ran 1/4 marathon and recovered just fine - no soreness at all.

Salomé has me training 6 days a week:

• Mon - crosstraining with increasing time each week
• Tues - increasingly long runs doing speed intervals or hill training
• Wed - short run
• Thurs - medium runs at a harder pace
• Fri - longest run of the week
• Sat - short run

My comfortable running speed is 10.6 km/hr which is a perfect pace for finishing the marathon in four hours. I've been doing all of my runs after school or during the last block if I have a prep. The gym is almost always empty except for a senior student trying to beef up so he can become a firefighter.

My routine is change, sip a bit of water, run my run on the treadmill while listening to The National's High Violet or Mumford and Son's Sigh No More. When I reach my distance, I hit cool down and get to a walk where I can drink water without spilling it all over myself. Then I add water to my energy drink (whey protein powder and a thawed cube of blended berries) and slurp it up while stretching my calves, quads, glutes, hams, adductors and abductors.

I ran outside today since I had no plans to go to the school and it was an atypical February afternoon: 13°C. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to keep a good pace without the treadmill so I timed my run and averaged under 6 min/km which is on track. I mapped my distance with Google Maps.

This last week was the first week running with actual running clothes. I picked up some Nike shorts and shirt - light weight, breathable, and they show off my hairy shoulders. My sweat pants and golfing shorts weren't cutting it before.



This is the dime-sized blister I popped a couple days ago, applied some Polysporine and a bandaid and it was as good as new. You can see the other blister-turned-callous above it too.

As far as pain, I haven't had much except for the first 3-4 minutes of running where I can really feel it in my shins.  I had a bit of numbness in my hands, but having spoken to my doctor friend who coaches at my school, he said it was nothing to worry about - blood simply goes where it's needed and my hand's don't really need it when I'm running. He also coached me to run without really swinging my arms since it uses energy unnecessarily - a tough habit to break, plus I look a little gimped. He's a kidney specialist so he urged me to look up an electrolyte recipe online to make my own sugar/salt drink to restore my body chemistry after long runs. I sweat like a dog.

Sleep is precious. I am recognizing that I need much more of it now that I am so much more physically active. And I'm so hungry all the time.

Dictatorship Artifacts

In sorting through stamps from the 1980s and 1990s from dozens of countries, I'm intrigued by the stamps that portray dictatorial leaders. Nearly all of them have been deposed since the stamps' issuance and some have been in the news throughout the Arab Spring (Summer/Fall/Winter). For me these stamps represent a bygone era, like my CCCP or Jugoslavia stamps, but certainly not an era that can not be repeated.



This is Suharto. Despite being a military dictator, he was a pal of the United States and other non-communist countries throughout the Cold War. He ruled Indonesia for 32 years until he resigned in 1998 after international disgrace over the deaths of 100,000 people in East Timor's struggle for independence.





This is the Philippines' former president and his shoe collecting wife Ferdinand E. and Imelda Marcos. F.E. Marcos was president from 1965-1986. During that time, he allegedly embezzled around $5 billion from the country (his cronies also embezzled ridiculous amounts of money too). Victims of torture and family members of the some 1500 executed people under his rule were awarded about $2 billion in reparations, but as the money was in the United States, they didn't get the overwhelming majority since the U.S. wouldn't release the money.





That Imelda was a looker though. Yikes!



This is media darling Muammar Gaddafi, successively the Prime Minister, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command, Secretary General, and Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution of oil rich Libya (42 years of rule). He of course was executed after capture back in October, 2011 by revolutionary forces aided by NATO.



Brotherly Leader is portrayed here as the sun bringing light to his country.



Hafez al-Assad is the father of current embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Hafez was the president of Syria for 29 years and was credited with building up the nation's infrastructure, opening it up to international trade, and ensuring women's equal status in the country. On the flip side, he was deeply criticized for the political repression he exerted on the Sunni Muslim population like the Hama massacre where between 10,000 and 40,000 men, women and children were killed by the military in the month of February, 1982. The news today continues to report on Bashar's current attacks, arrests and torture of dissident groups in Syria where over 5000 civilians have been killed in the past year.



I find the stamps to be remarkable demonstrations of how narrow our view of reality is. The pictures represent temporal power that span decades, but even today we see that all of them are dead (I think Imelda might still be alive). Sure, their legacy continues in many respects, but they have nothing now. Was it worth killing and torturing thousands of their own countrymen to maintain strangleholds over their countries? For embezzlement?

Now I need to come clean. Who am I to judge them? Their actions, vile and corrupt, draw easy condemnation. But if we consider the nations that they controlled we may discover that they held them together when democracy could not. Consider Syria for a moment - the majority of the population is not educated and they are Sunni Muslims who can be swayed into fundamental and perhaps violent actions against the minority. The Philippines continue to try to find peace between the Catholics and Muslims while at the same time trying to provide an infrastructure for booming cities and outlying and impoverished villages - not an easy nation to govern. How would Canada respond if oil-rich Alberta tried to secede? Perhaps not as Indonesia did with East Timor, but I can imagine it wouldn't be pretty. Would Libya have been better off allowing foreign oil companies into the country? Nigeria tells us probably not. I can not excuse their actions, but I can not speak negatively about their legacy without offering some sober reflection.