I Feel Fine

Wasn't going to post tonight, but tonight is one to remember.

Rained all day today. Rained for 80% of Saturday. Grey skies have become the norm for the last few weeks (literally), and I am stunned when I see the sun - If only for a second.

That Black Lab lyric that came through so clearly on this week's episode of Phedippidations really sums up the state of the union right now: "I can't see the sun anymore, but I don't mind, you're by my side, and I feel fine."

The "I feel Fine" bit is starting to wear a little thin. The forecast is calling for the sun to break through on Friday of this week... and if not, I'm just going to break down and sue. I'm going to sue the weather network. I'm going to sue Al Gore. I'm going to sue Mother Nature... because this ain't right.


Today's rain stimulated a day of couch surfing. Watched two horrible basketball games, and then caught up on some TV shows (Lost and Jericho). Before I knew it, it was 10pm... and as I went to slowly get my running gear together, my iPod battery was flat. Left it to charge, hoping the rain would miraculously let up.

By 11pm, it was charged enough - and I ventured out, for what I had bargained down to a few miles. It was supposed to be 12 miles, but my mind had decided that I had a slight hamstring pull and that my soleus was tight. My throat had made up a dry feeling, bordering on what some might consider to be the early stages of the signs of oncoming illness. My stomach felt too hungry to run 12 miles. And I think my dog had eaten my homework. Excuses ruled the day. And it wasn't raining anymore... it was snowing. It really was.

I started out, and before I knew it, 10 miles were in the books. I pushed on, ice pellets stinging my eyes and face. I was soaked to the core, my hands too cold to move. As my Garmin beeped for the 12th time, I killed all the music. I walked home, staring at the snowflakes in the against a blue black sky.... like frozen fireflies dancing in the rising mist. The streetlights cast an awful glow against the wet asphalt, but its lonely orange colour, was reminiscent of that burning star that has forsaken us for so many weeks.

I still can't see the sun, but I'm alright, and I feel fine.

One week later

What a differnce a week can make. Last week, I was in the midst of the inpenetrable blahs of a recovery week, and this week is cruise control. I shouldn't speak too soon, as most of my mileage is ahead of me, but so far - things are looking up.

5.5 miles on Monday, a 10 miler on Tuesday (6 with flicker), 5 on Wednesday, and an endorphon laced 45 minute tempo on Thursday. The weather has been as bad as was advertised... cold and rainy. The average high for this time of year is 10 C, and we're sitting at a balmy -2 C. Hey Al Gore .... I believe you and everything... but send some of your warming this way.

10 miler on tap tonight, which will take place indoors. New shoes + treadmill feels like running on clouds.

20 miles tomorrow look daunting, but more because of the weather than anything. High of 4C and snow in the forecast ... how motivating.

The meth lab is no longer a meth lab... went on a serious metro binge the last two days... yesterday was cleaning and laundry. Today was spending - dishes, curtains, clothes. Necessary.

The snow accumulating on the roof outside my window makes me feel like watching baseball. Not really. Jays are up early against the D-Rays... If its this cold in Iowa, I hope Shoeless Joe has a warm jacket.

Soundtrack tonight is a heavy dose of Placebo. Started with Black Market Music, and letting it shuffle from there.

the Gramma's

Stadium Arcadium? What? First item of business tomorrow - listen to that album again (damn, its a double LP) and figure out what all the fuss is about. All along, I thought it was just another album by the Chili Peppers - another iteration of the formula they got right 2 albums ago. Californication got it right... By The Way pushed it a bit too far, but moments of Frusciante brilliance (read: "Can't Stop") made it tolerable.. but Dani California? Its a Tom Petty hack, note for note. Snow (Hey Oh) is like an early working version of "Otherside", before it became awesome.

How did this album just rake in 4 Grammys? I know, I know - the Grammy's have sucked for a long time. But, why was this album even nominated? Is it a career payback sorta thing?

Going to rack up the iPod with some new albums tomorrow and pray for sunlight. Spring is coming, I can feel it. Its hiding somewhere behind the grey skies. Buried beneath snowbanks, trapped in the frozen soil. At moments, I can feel it slowly coming to life. The water leaking from the glittering snowbank. My jacket zipper's 3 inch descent at noon. The blinding sunlight replacing blinding darkness on those few days when I make it out of work on time.

February is nearly half over, thanks to its lack of days. D'you think February was ever made fun of in public school for being short? I doubt it.

You must be crazy...

Tonight started as a struggle - frustrations about the meth lab, as I paint like a possessed man, and other things don't get accomplished. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, beyond the painting, and it just isn't getting completed - or even thought about. Right now, the walls are beautiful tones of off-white (I couldn't bring myself to put dark colours on the walls that were previously so filthy).. and yet the space is far from an apartment. I left a note for the person-de-resistance tonight, and I hope something can be worked out tomorrow.

Even my run started as a struggle. My legs were tired from last night's escapade in the snow. The winter and its lack of friction is back - meaning my anti-slip and anti-slide muscles are tired. I did a quick loop around the block, thinking that I would just turn home if things didn't improve. Instead, I dialed the iPod to an old marathon playlist - random - and let it take me where it may.

I pushed through the initial mile-de-resistance, loping through the dark and empty streets. Somehow ended up downtown, but the streetlights and creatures of the night pushed me back to the more quiet residential streets. Did a loop around the rink at market square - hoping that the midnight hockey game that was so entertaining last night would be back. No luck. Instead there were men on cranes, either fixing street lights, or stealing lightbulbs. They waved, so whatever their purpose, I am on their side.

As I came upon the building that will be my new place-de-resistance (read: job), my eyes wandered, as my mind scoured the imaginary hallways on the 2nd floor, wondering which office might be mine. 4 weeks ago they thought I was too crazy. Over the iPod's symphony, I heard a voice. Someone calling me crazy. Must be just the Ghost of Pirsig in my mind. I'm really not crazy at all. Thats the funniest part.

I turned and saw a real person next to me. A student, walking home, not drunk. Maybe out late studying, nah - its January. No one studies until at least mid February. As I pulled off my headphones, he repeated his phrase:

You must be crazy....

I looked at him, wondering if I had been speaking my thoughts without knowing it. I admit it, sometimes I will sing along to the words without knowing, but thats usually many miles in. But I don't think I ever verbalize the thoughts that crystallize on the road.

He must've noticed my confusion.

You must be crazy to run at this hour ... he repeated.

I looked at my watch. It was 1:15 am. And it was snowing. I guess the man had a point - and in saying it, he had paid me a great compliment.... the piece-de-resistance. Crazy like Karnazes is a good thing. I laughed and shouted over my shoulder...

Gotta fit it in sometime. And I'm the least crazy person I know...


PS - huge congrats to Chazzy - king of the valley.

God Said No

Just a quick post tonight, before the eyes close for the day. Its apparently snowing outside - wish i could see it. Subterranean windows don't allow me to see, well, anything. If I get really close to the wall, I can look up and barely make out the color of the sky against the angle of the neighbour's roof. Not so glamorous. The forecast is calling for 10-15cm tonight, which will make tomorrow's run a bit of an adventure. Might get up early and go shoot some photos, depending on the amount of snow that actually makes it to the ground.

The bipolar temperatures that were surprisingly positive have now returned to their deep winter depression. What was +6 two weeks ago is now -6. And thats the high. The 14 day forecast is terrifying, as the predicted temperatures plunge off the charts... Weathermen are never right.

Went out last night to see Craig Cardiff play at Clark. Dragged K along with me, guest list, and hanging with Craig and Nathalia before the show... you know how we roll. The show was spectacular: acoustic guitars, lasers, light shows, spandex and fencing masks. Personally, my favourite song of the night wasn't even Craig's. A cover of "God Said No" by Dan Bern. Kicked off the show, and stopped the collective hearts of everyone in attendance. It was stunning, haunting, surreally perfect. And it was just beginning.

Came home and bought the original tune from iTunes (search, dan bern). Equally brilliant, but far more fragile. Hopefully I'll have the cover recorded and it will be posted somewhere soon.

Time for sleeping. Midnight is where the day begins - so I guess i'm 3 hours in. Happy tomorrow.

Antz

3 am, and no sleeping is happening. Maybe it was the 5k run at 1am.... or maybe its the hot water running through the pipes, which is apparently powered by a 50 year old tractor. At least that's how it sounds.

Winter suddenly arrived today. The -7 C chill slapped me in the face, but the sunlight was much appreciated. Wasn't too cold for running tonight, wore two Nike Pro long sleeves and a light jacket....ingeniously had the headphone cable running between the two shirts, eliminating its natural inclination to turn into a coat hanger in subzero conditions.

Winter didn't arrive alone. Winter brought with it some friends. Friends of the six-legged variety, who suddenly decided that my apartment was their new home. The kitchen, once a peaceful land of tofu and veggies, is now the horrifying site of the great ant massacre of 2007. Send me to the Hague - this is getting vicious. If my poisons don't work in the next couple of days, the big guns might have to move in and institute some big gun tactics of insect genocide.

Spent much of the evening painting, finally finished the base-coat of white upstairs. After some touchups, I may be able to apply some colour to the situation within the next few days. Hopefully things start to roll after that. My move-in goal is Super Bowl Sunday... but, I don't know how realistic that is.

Music tonight:


Aqualung - With Apologies To Anyone Who Is Actually Broken Hearted. live, and mellow. and perfect for 3 am.

Where boys veer to tread

In the words of Al Gore - the days lately have been Inconveniently Warm. This time last year, I was bundled up to the eyes with polar fleece, feeling the cold all the way to the core, sneaking out and racing the wind, risking frozen facial features for the joy of the chase. This year, the digital mercury on theweathernetwork.com has been dyslexic - infused with the antidepressants of cilmate change, numbers are typically overwhelmingly negative are suddenly consistently positive.

Despite one day of white covering green, snow has been missing without leave. So scarce in fact, that I was startled to find the roads and sidewalk frosted with a thin layer of silver under the stars tonight. Started out lightly, first testing the brakes and treads. Legs don't come with anti-lock anything, and one false sense of security can easily turn a brake to a break, and thats the last thing I need.

As my breath warmed the air in front of me, the frost seemed to part - making traction possible for speed. Speed is a relative term, but long strides make anyone feel like a cheetah.

The cold air lent itself well to acoustics. The sounds of action up ahead steered my course away from the usual midnight miles. Voices and cheers reverberated off of a building and into my airspace. Came across the culprits, the usual suspects. Deuce, DJ, Evan, Luke and Tbird... mini football in the frost - sliding across the asphalt, trying to out-ronaldinho eachother without giving into gravity. Stayed and watched for awhile, wanted to join in, and play all night - but tights (real men wear running tights) and worn out mizunos didn't fill me with confidence.

Finally took off, and did a circle of the campus, making a point to climb the hill that was once my nemesis in the fall. When getting back on my feet post-op, I insisted on climbing this hill as a part of my rehab. Looped back home, a block from the makeshift soccer field, hearing the ball echo off brick over and over, as the score surely rose into the hundreds....