it's autumn in them thar woods...

pretty orange leaves...

my cup of tea...

delicate, fluffy plants...

the gig is up, for now...

9 Oct 2007, 3:19 PM

Distance: 2.15 km
Time: 11:41
Pace: 5:24 min/km
Calories: 181

well, the above nike+ipod data says it all. i gave my ailing right hip two days rest then ran on tuesday. it felt ok for a while then i succumbed to my weakness. how embarassing... the plan now is rest it for at least a week rest then try again. i'm going to lose some endurance but there's no choice.

good news is that i can still ride a bike. i love biking. however, unless you bike at lance armstrong-type speeds and distances you won't get the same workout as running. maybe i should just leave the bike in the highest gear possible. ha!

now i'll have to buy a bike 'puter. yikes.

rant of the day.

they canceled the 2007 Calgary Santa Claus Parade. what the hell? too much construction happenin' downtown was the lame excuse. weak, i say.

why not run the parade down 4th Ave and or 3rd Ave (i'm sure the ho's approve)? nothing being erected or blow'ed up on them streets. am i right?

it just goes to show you what this city's priorities are. work, work, work... the all mighty buck. give it a rest, eh.

now the all the kids have to look forward to is a "party" on olympic plaza. nothing like watching santa traipse around on stage... i'm gonna be so excited the nite before the "party".

bubba's conclusion: to the organizer's of the former parade, screw'em...

happy thanxgiving 2007!!!

this song has been swirling in my head for weeks now. thank you steve jobs for killing me slowly... the consolation is the fact that the singer is the canuckistani version of bjork.

nike+ipod update...

here's the last run:

6 Oct 2007, 3:59 PM

Distance: 8.52 km
Time: 46:09
Pace: 5:24 min/km
Calories: 717

not a bad run. average. two problems: 1) i was 6K from home, and 2) i badly tweaked something in my right hip. i thought i could gut it out but it really hurt. i could not lift the leg.

it feels ok today. i haven't done much but give it rest for a couple of days. i may rest it or cut back tomorrow.

i am weak.

contrary to popular belief, i'm not training for a marathon. well, realistically, i'm not sure if i can get to that distance before snowfall. right now i'm at 14.5 km. that's before my little set back. a half marathon is definitely possible. 3/4 marathon in a month's time. that takes me into november. brrr... if i can run 2 complete 3/4 marathons in november, a full marathon is possible.

even if i did kill myself like that, i'll only run the sundance super marathon. that involves running loops around my neighbourhood and hiring a kid to take care of the drink table set up in the driveway. knowing the kids around here, he/she will hand me a hot coffee.

qtlibrarian update

is anyone tracking her progress to austin, TX? i have. she's a pretty tough cookie. i did not know the bikin' went into the wee hours of the nite...

my favourite quote so far: "I'm so tired I practicially fell asleep in my pancake this afternoon!" i'd probably be napping in my food as well. slobbering on my buns.

i am weak.

rant of the day...

major oil/gas companies in the alberta oilpatch like encana have predictably threatened the peoples of alberta with economic sanctions if royalties were to increase.

my verdict: screw'em. the multinationals, i.e.

have fun qt!!!!

i managed roll out of bed this morning (aside: damn it was cold. how do people get up in the dark, eh?) just in time to hoof it down to CyclePath South to bid qtlibrarian a bon voyage on her quest to raise funds for cancer research, cancer survivors and their fams.

she's very brave because the fundraiser is a marathon bike ride down to the land o'lance, austin TX to be precise.

if you have spare cashola on hand, give it to the cause by clicking here.

here are some pix i took at the party...


back row: cute lil' car, middle row: kick ass lance bike, nice bike rack, eh, front row: qtlibrarian looks pretty good in a uniform, eh?

if qt feels as good as she looks, damn she must be feeling really good.

qt chillin' in the chase van...

qt and groupies...

qt and team...

nothing like being sponsored by good carma...

the big team...

off topic: exciting to see mr. ski (a local celebrity) at the breakfast...

Sistas...

"edmonton" anyone?

i like playing badminton. not sure if it's an asian thang. i was playing the thailanders back in the day. damn they're good. i loved playin' with LG and LB the other day. it's a good way to bond with the young people. sisters!!

nike+ipod running update...

i reached another milestone. according to lance armstrong it's was my best performance yet. coming from lance, it means alot to me.

8 sep 2007, 11:28 AM

Distance: 9.85 km
Time: 52:38
Pace: 5:20 min/km
Calories: 460

i usually stop by the liberry along the way to pick up holds and gross the clientele out with my sweat drenched running ensemble. what the hell? it's only sweat. salty gatorade, eh...

after signing out the johnny cash at folsom prison CD i had on hold, i ran home.

8 sep 2007, 1:03 PM

Distance: 1.83 km
Time: 9:45 min
Pace: 5:19 min/km
Calories: 85

not a bad run. most impressive was the 545 calories burnt! hell, that's 8.38 christie's pirate peanut butter cookies or almost 2 (1.94) servings of cheezies (100g). or even better, that's an infinite volume of diet coke.!! wahoooo!!

further observations:

i know the exact route for the full and half marathons through my neighbourhood now.
i know that i'm weeks or months are away from either marathon.
i know the effort that it's going to take.
i know that you've got to include a couple of slow songs in the ipod mix.
i know that eminmem will kill you if he's the last song.

james bond vs vladimir putin...

007 meet vladimir putin, mr. putin meet james bond... dead ringers, eh?

movie: Casino Royale.

wow, what a movie! actor daniel craig, the "new" bond, is fantastic, bringing to screen a version of ian fleming's double O spy whose mean, detached, calculating, cold blooded, tough-as-nails, ego maniacal, and occasionally reckless. the new bond wreaks havoc just about everywhere he ventures. just what spies should be like.

the script is tight as a honey jar's lid, highlighted by the delicious razor sharp repartee between bond and his leading lady, vesper lynd (oh how i love that name), played by an even more delicious eva green.

what would a bond flick be without the thrills? not shortage here. the opening scene is delayed a bit but it just blows you away. i was just hooked big time after that and hung on for a really wild ride.

no worries, the future of the james bond franchise is secure and in good hands.

same, same... but different...part deux

phew... when i went away i thought politics in alberta would irrevocably change with the departure of HRH ralphie klein. just my luck. it seems this character craig chandler, a potential PC nominee in the riding of calgary egmont, has picked up the slack in the "i can't believe he said that" department of the PC party of alberta.

in response to the falling fortunes of the PC party in the polls and a less than positive door knocking campaign, craig wrote this masterpiece in an online forum:

"Firstly, Alberta is growing in a way that was never expected and many of the people coming here do not truly appreciate Alberta or even understand the history of this province or the relationship with the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. To those of you who have come to our great land from out of province, you need to remember that you came here to our home and we vote conservative. You came here to enjoy our economy, our natural beauty and more. This is our home and if you wish to live here, you must adapt to our rules and our voting patterns, or leave. Conservatism is our culture. Do not destroy what we have created."

hmmm... it's like deja vu. or maybe a second coming of sorts.

thanx craig for bringing back the good ol' days. or should i say, the voters of calgary egmont thank you. especially those commie bastard constituents who migrated to alberta to partake in the economic boom.

alot of blood sweat and tears for a couple of cookies.

on my nano ipod:

January 21. 2000 5:12 PM
Distance: 5.87 km
Time: 31:50
Pace: 5:25 min/km
Calories: 274

Paula Radcliff says, "congratulations you've set a personal record for longest workout".

ha!

Update: Lance Armstrong today said, "congratulations, you've just set a personal record for the mile".

ed. notes.

1. normally i don't listen to muzak while i run but i really like this ipod+nike setup. the voices in my head are cool.

2. thanx bb.

3. what the hell's a "mile"?

look!!! there's a spider in my grapes...

ok, if you didn't like the last video clip, you'll love this one.



to understand this clip to its fullest you have to be a really old person. young people will find the crack spidah most humourous.

i had lunch with my friend sal today. last time i saw him, we were bombing (not literally) around the south african outback. not often do i come home to someone i've traveled with. nice to be alive to see him.

i saw part of his photo collection from that segment of the trip. very nice (hard to believe we were on the same trip, eh). but then he had a hammerin' lens on his camera. oh, it's not about the camera is it? ha!

hopefully, i'll post some of his pix as well.

planning, planning...

i did it my way...

i know some loyal readers will be disappointed.

i don't know how to say this other than to say i'm home.

good things must come to an end. well at least for now.

it was a crazy final couple of days in asia. it was fun though (in a logistical kind of way). it was the closest i could come to "trains, planes, automobiles". there was the flight from BKK to Macau, the boat ride to HK, the HK subway/train system to my friend's, wasta, place in the New Territory, the bus to HKG for the flight to YVR, then finally the flight home to YYC.

i was ready to bust out of the airplane cabin on the trip from HKG to YVR.

at least, i got to see wasta (see below). we, his bud steve and gf candy, went out that night and reminisced about the good ol' days in pakistan, india and nepal over dinner at a thai restaurant. he picked up the tab (for brunch, as well)!! if you find yourself in HK, make sure i give you instructions on finding his house. ha!! anyways, it was 7 years since we last saw each other. so, it was really good to see him still really wasted. ha!


would you believe thai people actually talk like this? (l to r: wasta, bubba)




if he's out there reading this, wasta thanx again for your hospitality. like i said, i think we'll meet up again sometime. hope it's not another 7 years between visits.

as for me, it feels very weird to be home. even weirder than previous trips.

observations, so far:

damn it's quiet here. i'm not scared of silence but calgary's a city with a million people, eh? c'mon peoples and make some noise. look alive. man alive.

there aren't not many afro-canadian people in calgary.

damn it's cold here. people are complaining about the oppressive summer heat here. i've lived in 30 plus temps since leaving ethiopia in early may.

since i came home, calgarians have been killing each other left and right on the news. 4 were murdered with guns, 1 homeless bum was beaten senseless by a gang of thugs, 1 woman was murdered despite people hearing her cries for help, 2 calgarian men were killed in a hit and run incident, and last but not least a kid was deliberately pushed into the path of an on coming LRT (train)... i find it ironic that people worry about my personal safety when i'm traveling in places like africa. africa's tame compared to calgary in terms of violent crime, eh.

i renewed my library card immediately.

i've begun running again. man, i'm outta shape.

i've resumed a north american diet. man, we eat alot of meat/protein. i don't think my stomach knows how to process it all. it's going right through me.

i weighed myself. after a month of continuous eating, i'm only at 160 lbs (72.64 kg or 13 1/3 stone). i swear i packed on at least 5 to 10 lbs. since egypt. i was 200 lbs. at the beginning of the trip.

ed. note:

1) apologies to friends in calgary. it takes me awhile to acclimatize to being home again. we should go for beer soon.

2) i will publish more photos soon.

3) anyone know of any job openings in cowtown?