Boston Marathon

Last week the Boston Marathon was held. I am not a runner, but there was a bit of stir at work because one of the Executives in our area usually runs that marathon.

The Boston Marathon is the worlds oldest marathon and the most famous. It is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Tens of thousands of runners from all over the world run in it and international runners dominate at the finish line. This year was no exception. The course is 26.22 miles of winding and hilly roads with (as for this year) 26,000 people running along its course. It is one of the most difficult marathons to run. It is also one of the most inclusive, with classes identified not only for wheel chair entrants, mobility impaired entrants but also blind and sight impaired racers~!


I was most impressed to read about Orillia's Rick Ball who placed first in his class with the mobilty impaired runners, as he is an amputee who runs with the aid of a carbon fibre prosthetic limb. He posted the fastest time in world marathon history for a single leg amputee. Doubly impressive to me was that he finished under the qualifying time for an able bodied entrant. Rick had not been a runner prior to becoming an amputee in 1986. In fact, he only started training 2 years ago!

Rick gives motivational talks to school children to show them that disabilities should not stop them from achieving their dreams.

Rick is a shining example how people overcome adversity and move on to other challenges with determination and fortitude - and make time to give back to those around him. I take my hat off to him!


I took this photo of Bella the other day. She has gotten into the habit of crawling into my spot in the bed when I get up in the morning. She lays there and catches a few more zzzzz s while I get myself ready for work before I take her for her morning walk.

[Posted with iBlogger from my way kool iPhone]

Catch Up Time

It has been a few days since I have blogged.  I feel guilty and sot of like I have forgotten to brush my teeth.  I guess that is good.  The habit has been forged.  Now to keep the habit alive without letting it take over, become an obsession.  You see the truth is there are a lot of other things in my life which need to be done, which want to be done.  It is important to find a way to blog regularly without neglecting other things which are more pressing and are more important.  

This week has been hectic.  Catching up with stuff put aside as I studied for my exam.  Major deadlines at work which need to be met before I take 4 days off.  Tax and business bookkeeping to catch up with.  Getting ready to go on vacation to Las Vegas.  Having a few nights out with friends - socializing  is a good way to let off stress and to recover energy even if late nights result in too little sleep.  Having fun is necessary to well being.  So this week has been full up and a few nights blogs just fell too low on the priority list.

Last night I started to write my blog and ran out of time before I had to rush off to meet my dinner date.  

Which, by the way was a spectacular night of dinner at Le Select Bistro and jazz music at the Reservoir Lounge Fantastic night - but I got home way too late and then had an extra early morning at work.  I am paying for that tonight - did what I had to do and now I will blog.   Listening to some great concerts on Radio 2 - first KD Lang and now Hauxley Workman.    I need to get a good nights sleep because  tomorrow night will be sleep deprived as well - I have a 6:30 a.m. flight and since it is international and requires a 3 hour advance arrival that puts me at about 3:00 a.m. drive to the airport!  yuk - did I book this flight?...   As I was saying important to get a good nights sleep tonight.

Tomorrow night is Earth Hour and I do hope you all are going to turn off your lights at 8:30 for an hour.  We are organizing a party for Earth hour in the Condo party room - everyone in our building is invited to come down and enjoy the "lights out" together.   I am on the organizing committee and so need to go help set up at 7:00.  My friend Barb is coming down from Collingwood and spending the night before we leave for Vegas.   She and I will have a drink at the condo party and then come up to the apartment to look at our darkened city from the 21st floor.  Should be quite the sight.  Maybe I should post a photo or two.   Then as soon as it finishes we will be hitting the sack.  As I said, early morning flight. 

I took my dog Bella to get a haircut this week.  She was so shaggy and matted I just had her shaved right short so I could start over and try as it grows out to be more diligent with brushing her hair so it does not get matted.  She is  a different dog now - smaller by a fair bit and really very cute.   

I will l finish todays blog with the blog I nearly finished from yesterday:

I sit here at my desk (now located in Laura's "x" bedroom) I can see the CN Tower and the downtown skyline in
3/4 of the rightmost side of the view.  
Today the weather warmed but the air was damp and ribbons of fog rolled in from the Lake.  Not really sure if it was rolling in or rolling out, but when I got home from work there was a layer of misty cloud which hung low on the sky and above there was no fog.  It made an interesting view of the skyline. I snapped a pic. 

But that is not what I want to blog about.  When I look out my window, on about 1/4 of the left side I get a birds eye view of my "sister" condo, called "Zip", which is joined at the base with this one and with which we share building amenities.  

It reminds me a little like one of those ant farms - you know the one, you can see the tunnels and the ants going about their business inside the glass jar.  As I sit here I can see into the living room of about 60 apartments - about 3 across and about 20 floors vertical.   Lots of stuff to keep the eyes busy...  

I am starting to get to know my neighbours across the way  but not in the way you typically get to know them.  I have never met any of them but am coming to know their ways habits and lifestyle as I watch their comings goings through my window. There is a nice couple who live at number 4 (I number from top to bottom for instance 1 through 3 right to left are the 3 rightmost apartments on the top floor, and 4-6 is on the 2nd from the top floor) the guy in number 6 likes go around house in his shorts. His lady friend,likes to sit on the bar stools located what appears be bar height. Number 9 always has tv turned on. They have a big one and it faces the window so you can see what they are watching - in the morning City's Breakfast TV.

Anyway, in future blogs I may well refer to my "remote neighbours".   I am sure I will be privy to some interesting stuff in the coming months.

Jeepers, creepers....where'd ya get them peepers

Jeepers, creepers... where'd ya get them eyes... or so the song goes.

So the Peepers are not that nice looking just yet. I will admit that.

And in answer the lyrical question, I bought them, as mentioned in my last post - should have used that as the title of my last post, but I just thought about that song and it appealed... and I am just now looking at my new eyes and get a good feel for what they will look like when healed. Awesome, I think. Well to be truthful they will still look like my eyes, just a lot less saggy. Those of you who are my new friends may not notice much at all after everything is healed up. But I will.

I think they will be a nice improvement. My friend, T.S.  sent me an email last night. I have been in almost daily contact with him over the last week, sending emails and pics (- thanks for the support T.S.). I do believe he is utterly flabbergasted at how awful I have been looking. He asked me if "knowing what I know now would I do this again?" My daughter Lilly said she felt like crying when she looked at me because it seems like I had the crap beat out of me. OK, so I am not so viewable just yet and my opinion must wait until factual evidence is available.

But what a question to be asked at this point! Shows his as yet unspoken judgement about my decision to do this. Kudos to you T. for leaving these thoughts unspoken. At this point the answer is easy - I am only "half baked" and any such conclusion can only be reached once I see the finished product and live with it for a while. I need to write him back this morning and tell him exactly that. While I am at it I will also tease him about what I can only assume to be a Saturday night date. Guess he is playing his cards close to his chest. We only agreed just a week or two ago that we were no longer "BF and GF". Noticed yesterday he was back advertising on LavaLife. (Yet another subject for a blog! - god, I will be blogging day and night to catch up with all the stuff I need to write). I decided to sit out of LavaLife for a bit yet... but I did update my "away" message so T.S. would know I had been on and therefore had seen that he was no longer "taking a break" . Might go back there in a week and see if any "bingo letters" have dropped into my hopper. T.S. tells me he gets so many "hello's" he can't keep up with them. But then that is another subject. Nothing against T.S. (actually he is quite hot) but there are far fewer men on these sites than women.

In 6 weeks I will be able to provide via this blog a preliminary answer to T.S.'s question - may even post a poll for you to tell me what you think. Just to give everyone a hint though, I am not having any second thoughts. Still quite happy with my choice despite a week of less than happy living. But the proof is in the final product. The doctor said after 2 weeks most of the bruising and swelling will be gone although will take 6 weeks to heal 90%. The real answer is to be had after one full year; it takes that long to reach the 100% mark. And of course other folks reactions to my new eyes will play a part - however my satisfaction will be the only thing that matters to me.

Looking on the bright side of my current circumstance (if you don't know me yet you will soon discover I like to look on the bright side), I have been able to listen to just about every song nominated for Obama's Play List on CBC - which has been some really fine listening to Canadian songs. For those of you who do not listen to CBC, they have a contest going at the moment. They are asking for email/phone in nominations for a play list of 49 Canadian songs to send to Obama on the occassion of his inauguration. Some damn good songs we Canadians have produced! This week we get to vote for the short listed songs. Listening to radio is about the only thing that I can do which doesn't tire my eyes and make them sore.

I did spend too much time on computer yesterday. I am jumping full into my New Years resolutions (see the list provided on the sidebar which cozies up nicely with my "bucket list" aka "43 Things" which is accessed via the link on the sidebar tool "Linkworthy"). Every day I will look over these lists and see what I can do tomorrow to futher what I want to accomplish. To this end, I perused the "Meet Up" sites and joined a few -skating, documentary movies, spanish music/dancing, book club and 35+ social. I looked up the Tai Chi nights for beginners and decided I should see if I can join up with a beginners class in progress on Thurs nights as a way of getting back into it. Once back "out there", in a few weeks, I will be joining in on a number of interesting activities with new friends. Also browsed around the "43 Things" site and added a couple of items to my life list. Last night's Golden Globe awards provided me with renewed interest in getting out to see some of the films which garnered the most kudos. In all more than my eyes could take at this point. They were sore by day's end. But I was happy with my day.

So what of today? I have to be careful not to over use my eyes. Found out yesterday how much they hurt after prolonged keyboarding. I also have to decide when I will be able to go up to Collingwood to visit my dear friends up there. I promised to go up and spend a few days during my time off. I am not supposed to drive until day 7 - hard to drive with tearly, blurry eyes that hurt. Since I have to see the Doc on Wed and go get my mammogram on Thurs, I might leave it now until after so as I can spend the weekend up there.

Also on tap for today is a long walk with my dog Bella, shown on the left. Bella is a great walker. Boy, sitting around is not helpful for my weight loss effort. I can't believe how last month's holiday (I went on a cruise just before Christmas - Ye Gads! - the subject of another post to come!) and the holiday season moved me back up the unhappy side of the scale. I am not allowed any aerobic exercise for 3 weeks, but walking is fine. So I need to walk.

And it is MONDAY! One week before I go back to work after my 5 week haitus. :( Getting kind of used to not having to work for a living. *sigh* Too bad I don't have a wealthy "benefactor".

Another beautiful sunny day. Cold, -4 or -10 with the wind chill but I will take that with sun over +2 and cloudy any day. Good day for a walk. Gonna see if I can do at least 5 K. Might be hard with Bella. She won't wear those doggie booties and she gets salt in her paws. I end up carrying her when that happens and with my eyes I am not supposed to bend down as yet. Hard not to bend down when you have to pick up your dog. Makes the blood flow to my head and that causes bleeding. I found that out first hand yesterday when I forgot and bent over to tie up my boot. Anyway, I digress. Got to get moving the day is moving on.

One closing item. Today's picture is one view from my bedroom here in my Liberty Village Condo. It is on the 21st floor looking south over the lake and east to the CN Tower. Wonderful views. Will show more pics of them in blogs to come.