Harbour City Ramblings

Across the pond, along with all the Winter Olympic hype, the hubbub over unseasonably warm weather postponing events, canceling spectatorship, and refunding tickets is really putting a damper on things… for those in Vancouver.

Meanwhile here in Victoria, we are fortunate to share the same record breaking temperatures, but have the ability to fully enjoy it without sitting under the watchful, critical eye of the rest of the world. Who are still writing about Vancouver’s weather woes constantly.

I personally am benefitting from our balmy spring-like conditions, since this year I have taken up a new physical activity, by which I can enjoy the sunshine and all the fresh air my lungs can handle.

I decided last fall that I would partake in my first Times Colonist 10K Race. I wanted to run 10km in the year 2010. It’s a new venture for me, as in the last few years my workouts have only really consisted of yoga, and a particular video game…

Using Wii Fit to… gain weight? Yep.

In the last couple of years have I incorporated a regular fitness routine into my daily schedule. It takes place in my living room, using my TV. And if I really want, I can do it in my pyjamas. Though it isn’t extreme exercise, Wii Fit has enabled me to correct my previously poor posture, evaluate my gait, and gain muscle mass on my slender limbs.

Because of my through-the-roof metabolism I have always struggled to maintain a healthy weight, and gaining it was damn near impossible.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit has helped me to simply tone-up and reach a healthy BMI.

I may be one of the few individuals on the planet who can say they have successfully gained weight with Wii Fit.

With two years of performing push-up side planks, lunges, and various yoga poses in the comfort of my living room, I was ready to take my newly fit self to the streets.

Last Tuesday after starting with a custom-made Wii Fit routine to stretch, I strapped on my Saucony running shoes- which I acquired from my mom late last year when I decided I would run the TC10K- and I headed outdoors.

Tracking my 10K Training Progress

Within the last week and a half I have ran every other day. Using Run Keeper to track my progress, I have successfully covered 17.7 km of ground at a (slow, but progressing) average speed of 8.5 km/hour.

I have managed to cut a minute off of my average pace while bumping up my distance over these first 6 runs. My first run was 2.87 km. Today I completed exactly 4 km. I have set a schedule and plan to increase my distance and pace up until the big day- April 25th, 2010.

Co-workers and loved ones are supremely supportive and have been sharing their own personal running tips, which I have compiled here:

• Maintain good posture; leaning too far forward is tough on the diaphragm. Which brings me to…
• Find a breathing rhythm, and breath deeply; I have learned from past yoga instructors to breath deep into the diaphragm, to picture the oxygen reaching and energizing every part of your body.
• When running down hill ensure your feet stay beneath your body, don’t extend them too far forward, and again… keep your posture upright.
• Relax your arms and hands; keep them lose and hip-level, clenching your fists expends more energy.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate- both well before and far after.

With just under 70 days to go, my only hope is to continue enjoying this new found venture, quicken my pace, build-up my stamina, and make it past the finish line around the 60-minute mark.

Now here’s hoping this brilliant weather keeps up until April.

On Tuesday, July 28th travel-partner extraordinaire, Dylan, and I embarked on a journey back in time. We hopped over the pond for a night in Vancouver to catch the Blink 182 concert at General Motor’s Place.

Two hours of exceptional pop-punk tunes later, I felt as though I had been brought back to those awkward forgotten teenage years I had spent listening to part of the make-up of my high school soundtrack.

Their on-stage banter never ceased to amaze me, or entertain the crowd singing along to each and every song, as the reunited trio fell back into their old dynamic groove.

Their 15-plus set-list comprised of everything from First Date, the Rock Show, Man Overboard, Dammit, and Feelin’ This. Including the more mellow hits Adam’s Song, Stay Together for the Kids and I Miss You.

After their set was through, the encore commenced with a death-defying Travis Barker solo on a rotating and suspended platform absolutely destroying his drum-set, in the figurative sense. How that man was one of only two survivors of a devastating plane crash last year, and returned to the music business so quickly, I will never comprehend.

Travis Barker's Flying Drum Solo

The Californian trio then returned to the stage in their entirety and completed the night with their three-song encore, leaving me completely satisfied and yearning for them to get started on their next album. Their 4-year hiatus clearly did some good, as Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker eased right back into their old synergy, exactly where they left off.

A frog once educated me in song form on the difficulties he faced being green.  I admit, he was typically a rather downcast character, often distraught over blending in with ordinary things or his relationship with one specific swine, so I didn’t pay much attention to him. In fact, I find his statement to be completely false.

These days, what Kermit once cursed- deeming his natural shade a constant detriment- is all the rave and practice amongst the masses who are hoping to either master, or cash in on, the art of being green.

For forward-thinking minds wanting to see this world around much longer than the Maya prophecy inaccurately predicts, buying local, seeking out chemical-free products, and expanding their knowledge while raising awareness have become an everyday pastime.

Personally, for years I have been phasing out cleaning, clothing, beauty and other products around my home and replacing them with certified organic and natural items.  Currently I am working on increasing my ability to live off of a local diet, ensuring I purchase products not laden with pesticides, herbicides or other pest and insect controlling substances.  I am also employed by a company who shares in these views, creating dynamic development properties certified platinum by the L.E.E.D standard, utilizing local, sustainable building materials and practices.

There is a growing list of products I now consistently pick-up when grocery shopping which cater to my need to be green.

For the sake of my stomach (and health) I always have on-hand:

• Level Ground Trading coffee – Cafe San Miguel is my favourite blend from this Victoria-based producer of fair-trade, locally roasted coffees. Their newest venture- the Ecotainer, is an absolute blessing to see, as I constantly find myself cringing at the site of conventional coffee cups being thrown into trash bins around town. If you’re not B.Y.O.Mug’ing then this is the best alternative.
• Island Bakery’s organic Sunflower and Flax or Ancient 7-grain bread – Located less than 50kms up north in quaint Cobble Hill, their wholesome breads are hard to beat.
• So Nice soy beverage – Produced in Vancouver, their completely natural and preservative-free soy is a staple of my diet.  I would not switch back to it’s nutrient-lacking-in-comparison cousin milk any day.
• Golden Organics peanut butter – No salt or sugar added, simply pure roasted organic peanuts made a ferry-ride away in Burnaby.
• Nature’s Path granola – Though not produced completely locally, their environmentally sound methods of production, goals to be waste-free by 2010, and an outstanding line of such good organic granola make for the perfect morning brain-boost (or when mixed with the above soy, or yogurt and a banana, you have yourself a work-out fueling snack).

Green reading material is widely available through various means.  Tips on how to bring out the earth-lover in all of us are plastered all over the internet, it has also been the theme of various Expos- such as this weekend’s Organic Islands Festival- and you can learn more how-to’s and benefits at most any spot you will find literature sold.  I would recommend this read- a gift my cousin Ali picked up for me last year- Adria Vasil’s national bestseller Ecoholic, a great resource for some of the best environmentally friendly information, products and services around.

I know Kermit the frog has been around for over 60 years now, but if he wants to maintain this level of popularity he might have to change his way of thinking. If only when it comes to being green.

This weekend was an eventful one, starting with a Canucks win, followed by a small and energetic Gob show, capped off with a family dinner to write home about…  Which, would be pointless.

It’s Tough Being a Pedestrian…

Friday night after the game, we ventured out of James Bay and braved the mean streets of Victoria’s downtown core, with all it’s flagrant criminals up to no good, to catch Gob at Lucky Bar. The show was extremely impressive and the full review follows, but I first need to vent about this jaywalking crack-down debacle of recent headlines.

Twice in the last few weeks I have been harassed by drivers of vehicles who somehow felt compelled to make me believe I was in the wrong for having them stop for a pedestrian… at a crosswalk. Long after I had cleared it and reached the other side of the street, one driver even yelled out the standard and uninspired “Why don’t you look both ways before crossing?” Yes I looked, both ways, a few times over.  Just as I would if I may be crossing the street when it is clearly safe outside of the crosswalk confines.

In fact using my best judgment and crossing mid-block- while keeping a watchful eye out for side-street on-coming traffic, parked cars that may pull-out, cyclists and motorcyclists- often seems safer than the legal but much more limited alternative. Very limited, and did I mention time-consuming? I would have to add another 4-6 mins. onto my work commute to cross only where permitted, and subtract a possible few years off my life with the way some people drive.

From cell phones and iPhones, to life stresses on the mind, to being generally busy. Most people these days simply cannot be trusted to get behind the wheel with their thoughts riding shotgun. Likewise for some people on foot, possibly?  I hate to seem biased, so I’m open to hearing the point-of-view of a driver.

And yes, we jaywalked on the way to Gob…

For $15/ticket- a small and worth-while charge for a set of 3 bands- we were fortunate to catch the event live at Lucky Bar this past Friday, February 27th.

Due to the hockey game we showed up after the first band and made it for my clean-slate, first-time-listen to Vancouver’s Carpenter.  They played an impressive set pulling material from last springs Law of the Land.  The fast-paced and positive punk tunes got the energy flowing in the small venue.

Sometime after midnight Gob hit the stage, and the veterans of the evening did not disappoint.  They are well-seasoned, as evident by their flawless run through better-known hits and some newer material, throwing down a superb set-list of songs from the span of their 15 year career. They could easily fill the slot of opener to larger more popular punk acts in bigger arenas. A bold statement, maybe, but I stand by it.

On the way out the door I picked up a re-usable cloth Carpenter’s bag, while the guys from the band and Gob hung out greeting the crowd.

A great night over-all, I would recommend checking them out if you get the chance.

Today was quite possibly the busiest day of my life thus far!  That is a bold statement.

How do I feel at the end of the day?  Am I sad because I feel on my own?  No, I got by with a little help from my friends- clearly.  Not from the fab-four, though these friends could take on the similar title of fab-five with ease.  My co-workers are a dream team.  When I’m around them I feel, at times, unstoppable!  Batman-esque… I can tackle the day’s more difficult tasks with a BOFF! ZLONK! KAPOW!  Or a ridiculously large-tired motorcycle-ATV hybrid, Bat-Pod-like way of mowing the day’s hurdles down?  Who knows.  But we all had a great day at the ol’ work place.

In any case, accomplished a good mix of work and personal tasks, so I’m content.  I made a few more reservations for the impending European adventure.  Transportation to and from the airport is key.  We have to be there a minimum of 3 hours prior to departure.  From there, a brief stop-over in Calgary to pick-up some folks who pay too few taxes as well as rake in the dough- go figure, then straight to Frankfurt am Main.

I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing true jet-lag just yet.  The vote on which direction gives you the worst case of it was pretty well split in the office.  Some said flying East boggles your brain more, while others claimed it’s heading back West that will drain and disorient the most.  We shall see how I fare!

Enough Euro-talk, and enough of this being awake deal… Tomorrow I’ve got to jet to Vancouver for a concert.  Radiohead @ UBC Thunderbird Stadium.  Should be unreal!

“…THIS is a crow-bar. See? They got their little stools and everything.” – Moe Syszlak, as he pulls a framed photo out from behind his bar depicting crows sitting on tiny stools.

Over the last few days I have heard an increase in the amount of children screaming outside of my apartment building.

Don’t be alarmed.

It’s pretty common as I live within a few blocks of an elementary school. They stroll passed often enough, friends or parents in tow. The alarming part is- they’re now screaming not as they run buoyantly to class to find out what they’ll learn today, or back home proudly to relay what they’ve been taught to others- they’re now screaming as they dodge dive-bombing CROWS!

It’s that time of year, and it’s happening all over Victoria, among other cities. The crows are nesting, and they feel a determinate need to protect their young’uns. Much to the fear of those who choose not to commute to work (or school, downtown, etc…) while encompassed by a frame of metal and powered by a motor. If you’re biking, you’re safe. But without the protection of a helmet, you run the risk of being swooped down upon.

Speaking of biking, it was Bike to Work Week last week. Thousands of Victorians abandoned their vehicles and started pushing their pedals; incentives included various Celebration Stations with free goods from local suppliers, daily draw prizes, and watching your wallet swell while the gas gauge in your car remains still, if only a little longer.

I don’t live far enough away from my work place to make signing-up for BTWW count. Which is fortunate for me, really. Unfortunately the weather has been unpredictable and all-around lame. I would hate to have been the person biking home in the 40 km/h winds last night.

Lost Hiatus Equals More Gordan Ramsay…

Now that Lost is over until early ‘09, having ended with a bang at #1 in the ratings that week, Hell’s Kitchen has my full attention.

In it’s 4th Season, 5 chefs remain, and lately I have seen some of the most entertaining episodes of this series… ever. That being said I don’t see any standouts, yet. The entertainment factor is high, but the quality of participants is waning compared to earlier seasons. Difficult to say right now, but I’m going to predict Corey, Bobby, and Petrozza in the final 3. Which is interesting considering the age gaps (25, 37, and 47).

If you’re not an HK fan, and don’t intend on watching it tonight @ 9pm, the upside is there’re still a few things to be done indoors while the weather is uncooperative this rainy June and you can’t bear to make a tee time.

Scorsese’s Rolling Stones documentary “Shine a Light” is still at the IMAX. I’ll be seeing it shortly, but I believe it plays nightly at 8pm for only another week (until Thurs, June 19th ‘08).

Iron Maiden in Vancouver

It’s nice as an islander to have the reminder now and again that Vancouver gets 65% more rain than Victoria. I saw proof of this last week while there just for the one night. The Iron Maiden show at the Pacific Coliseum was fantastic, well worth trekking through drenched downtown Vancouver for a day.